Aquarium creates splash underground

Aquatic pet brand Tetra recently teamed up with the Aquatic Design Centre to install a pop-up aquarium in London Underground’s Old Street Station.

The week-long brand experience, Tetra Tranquility Tank, opened on 8 September to promote both company’s products while providing a retreat from the hectic city life.

Following research that highlighted the most stressful things about living in a city, with the dreaded commute being one of the top factors, Tetra decided to open the installation to show how aquariums can reduce stress. According to Tetra, stress has the most impact on our lack of sleep (51%), feelings of being run down (45%), and our general health (29%).

Tetra, founded in Melle, Germany, has been a global manufacturer of fish food since 1951 and serves more than 1,000 dealers worldwide. The brand helped pioneer the development of fish flake food, and its products can easily be identified in stores today sporting bright yellow tins.

The Aquatic Design Centre, based in the UK, specializes in custom built aquarium design and installation, drawing on 25 years of expertise. Director Aaron Mallet says, “We were thrilled to be part of such an exciting project. The London Underground was the perfect place to create an area of tranquillity and we were really pleased by the response from the public. The tanks took a total of 11 days to build and three days to install and we couldn’t have been happier with how the final installation looks. We really hope that those who visited the Tetra Tranquillity Tank will go on to install an aquarium in their own home.”

The 2,689-litre aquarium housed a variety of freshwater species suited for both home and office life including cichlids, vampire crabs, a turtle, angel fish, rainbow fish, and Corydoras catfish. Over 3,000 visitors had the opportunity to indulge in the sensory experience, including special effect lighting, the scent of herbal tea, and therapeutic underwater sounds.