AquaDom, the world's largest aquarium, which is inside the Radisson Blu Hotel, in Berlin, Germany, exploded and was destroyed on Friday (16/12) local time. This incident was surprising because it resulted in around 1,500 fish or aquatic creatures that were in it died.
Here are some interesting facts about AquaDom, compiled by us from Wikiwand.
Enter the World Record
AquaDom is a cylinder with a transparent elevator. This unique aquarium is located inside the Radisson Collection Hotel in the DomAquarée complex on Karl-Liebknecht-Straße in Berlin-Mitte.
Located in the center of Berlin, the DomAquare complex where AquaDom is located comprises offices, museums, restaurants and the Berlin Sea Life Center aquarium.
With a diameter of about 11 m, a height of about 25 m, and resting on a foundation as high as 9 m, this cylindrical water dome is the largest aquarium in the world and is recorded in the Guinness World Record.
Construction
Opened December 2, 2003, this acrylic cylinder building is manufactured by International Concept Management, Inc. using Reynolds Polymer Technology panels, and the architectural drawings were handled by Sergei Tchoban.
Its construction cost 12.8 million euros. The aquarium is built from 41 acrylic panels consisting of 26 panels for the outer cylinders and 15 panels for the cylinders in the lift which are "tied" together.
operational
AquaDom is filled with 1 million liters of saltwater, and holds 1,500 tropical fish of more than 100 species. To feed the fish, it takes 8 kg of other fish every day.
Feeding and tank cleaning is done daily by the team of scuba divers. According to Union Invest, as the owner of the building complex, the thickness of the outer acrylic cylinder walls is 22 cm at the bottom and 18 cm at the top, while the water temperature in the aquarium is between 26-27 degrees Celsius.
In 2020, the aquarium has been updated. All water is drained from the tanks and the fish are temporarily transferred to the captive facilities in the basement. Aquarium seals updated and some additional seals installed. In addition, maintenance is also carried out on the elevator.
It broke and exploded
The cylinder tank exploded on December 16, 2022, at 05:45 Berlin time. About 1 million liters of water flows into the hotel and road area, along with 1,500 fish that are kept in it.
This incident destroyed the interior of the hotel building and caused a large number of rescue teams to be deployed. Two people were injured and taken to the hospital. Officials and local media said the AquaDom outbreak would likely result in fatalities if it happened days later.
The majority of the 1,500 fish have died, and hundreds of small fish at the nursery are endangered due to power outages. Luckily, a small number of them have been rescued.
The Technisches Hilfswerk (THW) rescue team needed 12 hours to rescue. The impact of this incident also destroyed the lobby and atrium of the hotel like the aftermath of a war.