From viral sensation to fish graveyard: Brooklyn's makeshift goldfish pond was destroyed after the city closed it

A viral community aquarium next to a fire hydrant in Brooklyn now serves as a lonely makeshift cemetery for its fish-addicted residents after the project was canceled by the New York City Fire Department.

The site, a small puddle containing the fish in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, attracted dozens of visitors from across the city and state. Now that they are dried out and empty, the surrounding Halloween decorations give off an even sadder atmosphere.

“It's sad. There was a misunderstanding with the fire department and the fish died, and that's exactly what happened,” said Hajj-Malik Lovick, 47, a lifelong resident of the area who helped set up the aquarium.

Lovick has told it before The Independent that the project was intended to bring “conversation” and joy to the community, especially children. On Thursday afternoon, four months after its founding, only a few passers-by stopped to take quick photos before moving on.

Animal rights group PETA previously called the attraction “inhumane” and called for the fish to be safely rescued and placed in homes where they could be housed.

“We are definitely disappointed,” said Kristin Rickman, head of PETA’s emergency response team The independent, on Thursday.

“We would hope that whoever is draining this puddle would take a few extra minutes and just call someone to collect the fish. It really only takes a few minutes out of your day to be kind.

“We could have asked someone to collect these fish and find them good homes instead of just letting them die. The fire department has its job and dealing with fish is obviously not one of them. [But] Those fish should never have been there in the first place.”

Lovick and a friend came up with the idea for the aquarium while sitting by the leaky fire hydrant. “We started joking about what if we added fish,” he said The Associated Press. “Since the water is always sitting in the puddle, why not turn it into something more interesting?”

With the help of Lovick's uncle, the two fortified the edges of the tree bed with rocks and bricks, then bought 100 common goldfish for $16 from a pet store and placed them in the puddle.

The site was later the site of an attempted “goldfish screw” by two concerned residents who later admitted to being aware of the “optics” of their mission as white people in a historically black neighborhood.

But despite the aquarium's tragic end, Lovick plans to revive the community attraction. “Now let’s just do it again, better,” he said Thursday. “The fish died, and we will make more and better fish. But it’s sad.”

Between the garbage bags, a sign on the nearby railing also promises a return. “We are currently reconstructing the fish pond,” it says. “We’ll be back soon, don’t worry!”

But some are unimpressed by residents' resilience. “At this point, isn’t it enough for two groups of fish to die,” Rickman says.

“I mean, why not invest in something else that doesn’t cause suffering? I mean, fish are individuals… They're not, they're no frills. They are living beings and they feel pain, and it is wrong to put them in a situation where they feel pain or are at risk of suffering a painful death.”

Rickman added that she was unsure of PETA's continued involvement, but urged aquarium organizers to think about the fish that existed before and make more “compassionate” decisions in the future.