Berlin Zoo has confirmed that 200 fish that were rescued from a giant aquarium disaster have survived the ordeal, and are currently in their care. The one million-liter AquaDom cylinder-shaped public aquarium burst in the early hours of December 16, 2022, spilling all of its water and 1500 fish into the hotel complex it was situated in, and out into the streets of Berlin.

Visitor videos show that previous to the tank giving way it housed 80 species of saltwater fish including Rabbitfish, Trevally, Tarpon, Butterflyfish, Angelfish, Wrasses, Damselfish, Triggerfish, Surgeonfish, Batfish, Sweetlips, Fusiliers, and Monos. The tank also housed a Napoleon wrasse, Cheilinus undulatus, the largest wrasse species which is capable of growing to over six feet in length, weighing 400 lbs, and living for over thirty years. 

“Ticking Time Bomb”

Hermann Schuranm, former owner of Schuran Seawater Equipment, described the 264,000-gallon structure to the press as a ‘ticking time bomb’. The ex-acrylic tank manufacturer said that he was approached to quote for building the record-breaking aquarium before its construction, but that he declined the build, saying that it was too big. 

‘That AquaDom should have been heated to 80 degrees with an oven after construction and then again after the renovation,” He told EuroWeekly. “That is very expensive, but it is possible.’

The AquaDom was renovated just two years ago.