Animal rights group PETA wants a memorial for the 1,500 fish that died when the huge aquarium at the Radisson Collection Hotel in Berlin burst.

It is also planning to sue the operator of the AquaDom – the 46-foot-high aquarium that ruptured early on the morning of 16th December.

The incident caused 264,000 gallons of saltwater to spill into the hotel lobby, sending the tropical fish inside flying in all directions.

Two guests of the hotel had to be rushed to hospital to have glass shards removed from them.

At the time of the rupture, the temperature outside was minus seven degrees Celsius (19 degrees Fahrenheit), while the water inside the tank was 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit).

Some believe the large temperature difference may have compromised the tank, with material fatigue mooted as a possible cause of the incident.

The AquaDom, built in 2003, was the largest free-standing cylindrical tank in the world. Its rupture caused a power cut and almost all the fish inside it at the time died.

PETA said in a statement: “What is clear is that no fish should ever have been confined this way. Animals exist for their own reasons, not to provide needless and exploitative ambience.

“PETA Germany is exploring legal action against this death-trap hotel aquarium and is requesting that a memorial be built at the site to honor the 1,500 marine animals.”

Peter Hoeffken of PETA Germany added: “This man-made tragedy shows that aquariums are not a safe place for fish and other marine animals.

“The AquaDom must therefore not be rebuilt.”