A makeshift goldfish pond beneath a leaky Brooklyn fire hydrant is
reborn in a tree bed
Send a link to a friend
[November 02, 2024]
By PHILIP MARCELO
NEW YORK (AP) — An urban pond where goldfish used to swim beneath a
leaky New York City fire hydrant has been replaced by a new makeshift
aquarium, days after the city unceremoniously paved over the old one due
to safety concerns.
Industrious Brooklynites have taken waterproof liner, bath tiles,
concrete blocks and gravel and fashioned a new urban pond in a tree bed
next to the now repaired hydrant.
On Friday afternoon, roughly 40 goldfish were darting around the new
environs, which were built Wednesday and feature fake, brightly colored
plants, stones and other aquarium decorations.
Pedro Zambrana, a 29-year-old visiting from Barcelona, was among the
dozens of people stopping by to peer in and take photos.
“This is so cool,” he said, adding that a visit to the curiosity in
Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood had been high on his
itinerary for his week-long stay in the city.
Devang Shah, one of the local residents that helps manage the pond, said
volunteers soon hope to outfit the aquarium with a solar-powered
filtration system to replace the current battery-powered one.
They also need to acquire a heating system before winter sets in and
have visions of setting up a livestream so their admirers worldwide can
tune in, he said.
The so-called Bed-Stuy Aquarium is searchable on Google Maps and has its
own Instagram and TikTok accounts, managed by Shah and other residents.
[to top of second column]
|
John Ginsberg and his granddaughter Isabel Lohan, 3, look at the
replacement makeshift goldfish aquarium in a tree bed, adjacent to
the one previously filled-in with concrete by the city, Friday, Nov.
1, 2024, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Philip
Marcelo)
But the 44-year-old architect lamented that the aquarium had been easier
to manage under the leaky hydrant. The steady stream from the hydrant
had provided a constant source of fresh water, so a filter system wasn’t
really needed, he explained.
“They seemed happier over there,” Shah said, gesturing to the hydrant
surrounded by a now pristine slab of concrete.
Passersby watched intently as he sprinkled fish food into the water,
cleared out falling leaves and took water quality readings.
Shah said it’s the fourth incarnation of guerrilla pond, which was
originally formed when the leaky hydrant carved out a shallow pool in
broken concrete, prompting residents to fill it with store-bought
goldfish.
People concerned about the welfare of the fish staged a “rescue” over
the summer, but resolute residents restocked the pool and set up a
watch.
The site has only grown more elaborate, with painted benches and chairs
and decorations.
There's even a sign designed to look like an official New York City
Parks Department plaque affixed to the tree that reads, “BEDSTUY
AQUARIUM.”
All contents © copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved |