An 82-ft fish tank that exploded in a German hotel, killing 1,500 fish, was a ‘ticking time bomb’.

Shards of glass had shot across the reception of the Radisson Blue hotel as one million litres of water gushed from the shell of the fish tank.

The explosion took place at 5.50am on December 16.

One terrified onlooker had told Metro.co.uk the blast ‘sounded like a plane had hit the building’.

An expert has now claimed the aquarium, known as AquaDom, should have been inspected more frequently.

Doing so would have prevented the explosion.

Hermann Schuranm, former owner of Schuran Seawater Equipment, described the structure as a ‘ticking time bomb’.

He claims he was asked for a quote to build the aquarium, but that he declined as it was too large in size and he was unsure how long it could safely last.

The huge aquarium, that housed 1,500 fish, had been a major tourist attraction (Picture: EPA)

Mr Schuranm said the blame falls on those who built it, adding that it should have been inspected every two years. 

He told EuroWeekly: ‘Otherwise, there is negligence.

‘That AquaDom should have been heated to 80 degrees with an oven after construction and then again after the renovation.

‘That is very expensive, but it is possible.’

Two people were taken to hospital after getting hit by shards of glass (Picture: EPA)

He added that ‘stress’ could have emerged within the glass casing of the fish tank due to the volume of water.

The complex where the explosion took place included a Radisson Blu hotel, a museum, shops and restaurants as well as the world’s largest freestanding cylindrical aquarium.

It contained 1,500 tropical fish of 80 different species before the incident.

Around 350 guests who had been staying at the hotel were asked to pack their belongings and leave the building, a fire brigade spokesperson said.

The scene outside the Radisson Blu hotel following the explosion (Picture: Getty Images)

Buses were sent to the complex to provide shelter for people leaving the hotel as temperatures in Berlin were around -7 degrees, police said.

Emergency services shut a major road next to the complex that leads from Alexanderplatz toward the Brandenburg Gate due to the large volume of water that had flooded out of the building.

The aquarium, which was last modernized in 2020, is a major tourist attraction in Berlin.

A 10-minute elevator ride through the tank was one of the highlights of the attraction.

Radisson Blu has been contacted by Metro.co.uk for comment.

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1,500 tropical fish were killed in the blast.