Brooklyn’s Beloved Makeshift Aquarium Paved Over

A makeshift aquarium that popped up this summer in a puddle beneath a leaky New York City fire hydrant is no more. 

 

The city’s Department of Environmental Protection have long said the dribbling hydrant created a safety hazard. On Friday, workers filled the earthen area that formerly held the puddle but turned into a goldfish shrine. Yellow tape cordoned off a patch of freshly poured concrete around the repaired hydrant, leaving it looking like the city’s smallest-ever crime scene. 

 

“Oh my God”, said Sofia Talavera, her hands raised to her head as she looked at the spot. “People actually took their time and their money to make it beautiful. This was literally the community coming together”. 

 

The so-called Bed-Stuy Aquarium, named after the surrounding Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant, was formed when the leaky hydrant carved out the shallow pool next to a tree bed on a residential street and residents filled it with store-bought goldfish (Carassius auratus). 

 

The pond was controversial from the start. Some of the fish were “rescued” over the summer by people concerned about their welfare. That angered others, who said the fish were fine, restocked the pool and set up a watch. 

 

After media attention and some donations, organizers kept building out the site, adding signage, decorations and seating. A bootleg sign designed to look like an official Parks Department plaque read “BEDSTUY AQUARIUM”, and a telephone pole was painted with palm-size goldfish surrounded in blue. The pond was easy for even tourists to find after it became searchable on Google Maps. 

 

It always seemed inevitable that the fish would eventually have to be removed. The Fire Department need hydrants to be in working order. Winter is coming. 

 

Fire officials fixed the hydrant on October 22, but residents quickly replenished the pond with water and fish. Videos on social media showed testy exchanges between locals and fire department workers, and police protection for the cement-layers. 

 

The Department of Environmental Protection said in a statement that they were “looking forward to working with community members to find an appropriate alternative location for this impromptu gem”, adding, “This allows us to keep New Yorkers safe by ensuring that the previously leaking fire hydrant doesn’t freeze over and become inoperable”. 

 

The remaining goldfish were removed and placed in a bucket, the department said. 

 

Some residents expressed optimism that the pond could be moved to a nearby community garden, while others are holding out for converting a derelict storefront on the block into an indoor aquarium and hangout space. Organizers most involved in those efforts, however, declined to comment.