Giant Tigerfish tank video

There are several unique aspects to this video, but I didn’t want to label it up like click bait, and have people disappointed.

The tank was on display at the China International Pet Show, known as CIPS for short.

The tank was large, at about 10 feet by four feet, and it was filled with Siamese tigerfish, Datnioides pulcher, a high prized, very expensive freshwater predatory fish.

Going by the size and number of fish in the tank, the collection was worth tens of thousands of dollars, and it certainly caught my eye, and was well worthy of a quick iPhone video.

Tank crack

But something unexpected happened while I was filming that tank – the base glass cracked, and I caught it live, on camera.

First there was a noise, and the fish reacted like the tank had been hit, or knocked. The owners of the tank heard the crack, as did I, and you’ll see them gather at the end of the tank I was filming from, and peer underneath the side fascia panel.

The tank base cracked, and the crack ran across the tank from left to right. You even see some of the fish turn head down and follow it!

I continued with a few more videos, the journalist in me determined to capture the second the tank actually splits, and throws thousands of litres of water, and thousands of dollars worth of fish, across the show.

I came back again and again, with more people gathering as news (in Chinese,) spread. More bodies, then a ring of chairs, but I didn’t see it go. I told a few people to stand back at one point, and even positioned myself just outside of the potential blast zone, with chair ready to jump up onto.

As I left the show for the day they were hastily emptying the tank, and the next day, to their credit, the tank had been emptied, removed, and the fish were back, this time in three, much smaller tanks.

So here’s the YouTube sensation “Mega Tigerfish tank explodes live!” video which never happened, because it never did explode. But it did crack, and I captured it on my phone!