Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet nor hail shall keep the Bedford-Stuyvesant goldfish pond from welcoming curious visitors, its creator told The Post.
The TikTok-famous goldfish pond, crafted from a hydrant leaking into a shallow tree pit, will be retrofitted with a plexiglass system to keep the fish swimming in the winter, pond creator Hajj Malik Lovick said Sunday – less than a month after vandals defaced it and killed fish in the process.
The pond on Tompkins Avenue and Hancock Street is busiest with visitors when it rains, Lovick said, though it’s unclear if snow will have the same effect.
“We’re going to put heaters in it,” said Lovick, whose GoFundMe fundraiser to winterize the makeshift pond with an outside ventilation system has amassed over $3,000 of its $5,000 goal. “Solar panel-generated, yeah.”
Lovick contended his plans to enclose the pond won’t encroach on the city’s access to the fire hydrant.
Pond visitors floated their own ideas to The Post to keep the fish swimming through winter Sunday afternoon:
“I wonder if they could cover it like a fish tank,” one postulated.
Others mentioned bringing the fish inside until the weather is warm again.
Regardless of how the fish will be handled, the goldfish – purchased and dumped into the 1.5-inch pit by Lovick earlier this summer – will suffer from changes in temperature, chemical runoff and hungry rats, veterinarian Ben Rosenbloom previously told The Post.
“Fish in these conditions are going to die one way or another,” he said, calling the pet project “animal abuse.”
At least two 311 calls have been made to the site reporting animal cruelty since the pond made waves in August.
The Department of Environmental Protection has shut off the leaking hydrant several times, but the pond’s defenders have quickly opened it back up.
“There are real safety concerns with damaged or leaking hydrants; it can impact the availability of water for fire emergencies, and it can impact water pressure and cause supply issues for the neighborhood,” Beth DeFalco, the DEP’s Deputy Commissioner for Public Affairs and Communications, previously told The Post.
“We love goldfish also, but we know there is a better home for them than on a sidewalk.”
Some pond visitors, however, insist the fish should be kept as permanent residents on the Bed-Stuy block.
“This needs to stay here forever,” said Will Phalon, a 20-year-old Pace University student. “I love how it’s so community [oriented] … This is such a part of this street now. I feel like everyone’s made their mark with all these decorations.”
“I really don’t want it to end,” added fellow Pace student Erika Cao, 19. “Maybe they could find a way to keep the water [inside] in the winter?”
It’s hard to say how long the goldfish will survive as they are “quite hardy,” Rosenbloom said, “but they will not be thriving under these conditions.”
The veterinarian’s advice to the pond creators: send the fish packing.
“Rehouse them in appropriate ponds or large fish tanks,” the vet told The Post last month after the site was vandalized.
“These are, again, completely inappropriate conditions for the fish to be living in – and the vandalism is only one consequence of this.”
