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Fish that survived tank destruction in pet store robbery still swimming a day later
Big Blue, 18-year-old blue tang fish, survived after being out of water for 6 hours
By Brian Fraga
Herald News Staff Reporter
Last update Feb 23, 2013 @ 05:52 AM
FALL RIVER — A fish should probably not be alive after being out of water for almost six hours.
Yet on Friday, Big Blue, a popular 18-year-old blue tang fish at Animal Instincts Aquarium & Pet Center, was swimming with ease in her new 180-gallon tank.
“She should be dead. It’s amazing she’s still kicking,” said Bob Schenck, Animal Instincts’ owner.
A customer bought Big Blue from Schenck about 14 years ago when the fish was barely the size of a quarter. The customer returned the fish to the store a little more than a year ago after it outgrew its tank at home.
“She just got too big,” Schenck said.
Big Blue was the lone survivor after an unidentified man broke into the pet store at 811 Plymouth Ave. just after midnight Wednesday and used a metal pipe to destroy a 180-gallon reef tank.
The suspect struck the large tank — kept in the fish room in the back of the store — with the pipe several times until it cracked. Moments later, he took out a piece of glass from the tank to make the water inside gush out faster.
Schenck said 25 fish and 40 different types of coral died. He said there would have been more outrage if the suspect had killed puppies or kittens but noted that the man still destroyed living animals.
“There’s been a pretty substantial outpouring from the general community,” Schenck said, adding that one customer donated two pieces of live rock for the new reef tank. Another customer has pitched in to increase the reward to $800 for information leading to the suspect’s arrest. Schenck said people can call his cellphone at 774-201-1478 with information.
“I hope justice is served,” he said.
Fall River police detectives are investigating. The store’s 18 surveillance cameras recorded the suspect, who also destroyed a smaller tank and tried smashing a 180-gallon freshwater tank. The suspect entered the store without setting off the alarm by breaking through the glass on the front door. He took the store’s register, computer system and stole merchandise.
A grainy surveillance photo released by police Friday shows the suspect wore a hat, jacket and blue jeans. Schenck said he has updated the security system to monitor all the glass windows.
Meanwhile, Big Blue’s outlook is still touch and go. The staff found the fish early Wednesday morning on top of some rocks, near a small puddle of water, inside the tank.
“She’s scarred up pretty good,” Schenck said, adding that it will probably take about 10 days to know whether the fish will survive.
“A lot of times, stress on a tropical fish will not rear its ugly head for three to five days,” Schenck said. “It can look like it’s coming around and it’s all good, and then all of a sudden, (the fish) drops dead.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if that happened to her,” Schenck said, “But this is just a special case. I’ve been involved in the aquatic industry my entire life, and there is no conceivable way I can tell you why this fish is alive.
“If she stays that way, it’ll be even more amazing,” Schenck said.
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