How tall was the Berlin aquarium? AquaDom fish tank with 1 million liters of water, 1500 fishes bursts open

AquaDom, a 52 ft tall giant aquarium containing 1500 fish, exploded in Berlin on Friday, December 16, 2022. The aquarium, posited in the Radisson Collection Hotel’s lobby, had 1 million liters of water when it burst out, flooding the hotel as well as the nearby streets.

AquaDom has been described as the world’s largest cylindrical aquarium. So far, two people have been reported injured from the blast that occurred on Friday around 5.50 am (04.50 GMT). Following the incident, guests staying at the hotel have been moved out.

Videos and photos of the aftermath of the explosion were shared on Twitter by hotel guests who pointed out the intense damage to the complex due to the blast. More than 100 fire rescuers were called in to respond to the devastation.

A spokesperson from the firefighter’s team in Berlin told the BBC that the tank was home to more than 100 varied species of fish, among which a vast majority had died. Rescue attempts were also more difficult than usual due to the cold weather.

Later, James Klein, another fire brigade official, informed local media that they found several dozen fish alive in places where the remaining water had accumulated. They arranged for the fish to be rehomed in other aquariums.

Ruins lying in front of the front gates of Radisson Blu. The front gates are also damaged. (Image via AFP)

Outside the hotel, a heap of glass debris was lying in front of what were once the front doors of Radisson. The force of the flooded water coming from the tank explosion deformed the front doors.

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Officials speculate that the freezing temperature might have caused Berlin fish tank to burst open

On Instagram and Twitter, several hotel guests have shared videos of the blast in Berlin and the ruins of the fish tank scattered everywhere. Many talked about how they were woken up by the sound of a loud bang and shaking that felt like an earthquake.

Union Investment Real Estate, the company that owns AquaDom, said in a statement that it’s still unclear what caused the incident. However, there has been speculation that the ice-cold temperature, which decreased overnight to -10ºC, might have caused a crack in the aquarium’s acrylic glass, leading it to explode under the heavy water weight.

Fish service officers, veterinarians, and firefighter officials worked throughout the afternoon to rescue 400-500 fishes that were kept in smaller tanks under Radisson's lobby. Due to the lack of electricity caused by the explosion, these fish in smaller tanks were deprived of the necessary oxygen to survive. After being rescued, they were moved to other tanks in the adjacent Seal Life aquarium, which was still unaffected.

Franziska Giffey, Berlin’s Mayor, said that the aquarium crash released a “veritable tsunami” of water. However, since the incident occurred in the early morning when most of the people in the hotel were still not out in the lobby, there were minimal injuries. She said:

“Despite all the destruction, we were still very lucky. We would have had terrible human damage had the aquarium burst even an hour later, when people were awake and in the hotel and the surrounding area.”

The government of Berlin’s Mitte district posted on Twitter that only a few fish at the bottom of the aquarium could be saved. Among the ones that died were a clownfish and a blue tang – two colorful species of fish widely known for the animated film Finding Nemo.