A huge aquarium in Berlin, AquaDom, burst and spilled debris and water over the streets early Friday morning. More than a thousand tropical fish fell victim to this tragedy. 

The AquaDom is 15.85m high (52 ft) and is said to be the largest free-standing cylindrical aquarium in the world. The aquarium was home to 1,500 tropical fish.

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After the explosion, glass that fell on two people caused injuries. Police described the damage as being “amazing.” A video showed water flowing into the hotel lobby from an empty tank.

Where is AquaDom?

AquaDom was a 25-meter-tall (82-foot) cylindrical aquarium in Berlin, made of acrylic glass with a built-in transparent elevator. It was in the DomAquarée complex at Karl-Liebknecht-Straße in Berlin-Mitte, inside the Radisson Collection Hotel.

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 AquaDom was inaugurated on December 2, 2003. About 12.8 million euros were spent. The American company International Concept Management, Inc. created the acrylic cylinder. It served as the centrepiece of Merlin Entertainments’ Berlin Sea Life Centre.

On the early morning of December 16, 2022, the giant tank burst and spilled over 1 million liters of salt water into the streets. The hotel’s infrastructure also suffered damages. The tank, which housed over 1500 fish, burst and injured two people.

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The cause for the aquarium’s rupture is still unknown. Union Investment Real Estate, the company that owns the AquaDom, stated in a statement Friday afternoon that the incident’s circumstances were “still unclear.”

Before the incident, the AquaDom, which is 25 meters (82 feet) tall, had more than a thousand tropical fish and was referred to as the largest cylindrical tank in the world. It hosted 80 different kinds of fish, including the blue tang and clownfish, two vivid species made famous by the well-known animated film “Finding Nemo.”

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Unfortunately, none of the fish survived. Some were found frozen due to the cold temperature in the city.

Sea Life, which operated AquaDom, expressed sadness at the event and said it was attempting to contact AquaDom’s proprietors for further details.

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There was speculation that the acrylic glass tank cracked overnight due to the subzero temperatures, which dropped to minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit). The tank subsequently exploded as a result of the weight of the water. Police claimed there was no proof the incident was the result of malicious activity.