An office fish tank can not only beautify the environment, but is also considered important for feng shui. However, negligence in inspection can result in a “financial loss” tragedy. A serious office “tank explosion” accident recently occurred in Wuxi, Jiangsu, China. A large fish tank holding 4 tons of water and used for five years suddenly shattered due to the aging of its gel seals, which could no longer withstand water pressure. This accident caused the death of several precious ornamental fish worth over 180,000 ringgit (300,000 RMB). Afterwards, out of curiosity, the owner sent the dead fish to a restaurant for cooking, frankly stating: “Expensive ornamental fish actually taste bad!”
According to reports, this incident occurred around 6 a.m. Since it happened at dawn, the office was empty. Four tons of water, mixed with shards of glass, gushed out. The matter was only discovered by employees arriving at 8 a.m., by which time the ornamental fish in the tank had missed the golden window for rescue, suffering too long from a lack of oxygen.
Mr. Du, a friend of the fish owner, stated that all fish kept in this tank were valuable, high-end ornamental types. After checking, only a few tiger fish and one stingray survived in the little remaining water. The rest, with a total value of 180,000 ringgit, could not be saved.
Facing the sudden huge loss, the owner and his friends did not cry or grieve, but instead showed amazing composure. Curious about the taste of these “tens of thousands of RMB fish,” they sent two dead specimens to a restaurant to be cooked, joking online about having a “luxurious meal worth hundreds of thousands of RMB.”
However, Mr. Du later told the media that the taste of expensive ornamental fish was a big disappointment. He said with a laugh:
“It actually doesn’t taste good. Probably because ornamental fish are raised in tanks for a long time and lack exercise, the meat is very mushy, and the texture is not good.”
Mr. Du added that this group of friends and the owner are all experienced aquarium hobbyists. Although the tank explosion caused a huge loss, everyone was psychologically resilient and calm. The owner is currently cleaning up the office and stated that once everything is settled, he will buy new fish and continue to enjoy the hobby of fishkeeping.