The AquaDom presented a unique cylindrical coral reef with hundreds of tropical fish. After the aquarium bursts, there is little hope for the animals.
The burst large aquarium in the foyer of a hotel in the center of Berlin leaves behind a field of rubble. The 1,500 tropical fish that frolic in the real coral reef were suddenly flushed out with the one million liters of salt water. But what happens to the animals now?
The fish are no longer in the water, said a spokesman for the fire department. They have therefore spread out in the building and on the street. A politician who stayed at the hotel reported that everything inside the building had been destroyed, with dead fish lying everywhere. "This is a big disaster for the fish and the hotel."
In the end, none of the fish in the giant cylindrical aquarium could be saved. Saltwater fish can usually only survive up to two hours without water. Fish absorb oxygen from the water through their gills. During the time on land, the membranes of the gill lamellae begin to dry out, the fish can no longer take in oxygen and suffocates.
The low temperatures in the capital are also likely to have been fatal to the fish in the AquaDom. Some of the animals were washed outside with the water. At the time of the accident it was minus nine degrees. Just a few seconds in icy air can kill a fish.
However, there are other smaller aquariums in the hotel area. Although these fish could be saved, their survival is not certain. For safety reasons, the hotel's power supply was cut off. State Secretary Markus Kamrad told the "Berliner Morgenpost" that the electricity in the hotel should be activated so that some of the smaller fish can be secured. Alternatively, the fish could be transported to the Berlin Zoo, but the appropriate permit is still missing.
According to the operators, more than 100 different species lived in the pool. The aquarium was filled with a million liters of salt water. That would be 1000 cubic meters of water weighing 1000 tons. According to the information, the aquarium was extensively modernized by summer 2020.
