2,000 gallon fish tank bursts at Fox Lake pet store, flooding business; friend starts fundraiser

Friends have started a fundraiser for a pet store in Fox Lake, Illinois, after a 2,000 gallon fish tank burst suddenly, flooding their business.

Something Fishy Pets posted to their Facebook page on Monday that the tank failed without warning, theorizing the top seam gave out.

"Thank god we were closed so no customers were here," they wrote. "Thank god we were here so we could get right on clean up. Now time to rebuild. Very sad because we almost had it to where we wanted it."

The store said in comments on their social media that the tank housed about 350 fish, and while they were able to save "a few hand fulls [sic]," it was "nothing close to what was in there."

They said the tank is a loss, and will have to be thrown out, but they have to wait for their insurance to process it first.

In response, a friend who also works in the pet industry started a GoFundMe to raise money to help them rebuild and recoup the losses from the massive tank.

According to the fundraiser, the owners of Something Fishy Pets bought the store only about a year and a half ago, in February of 2025, when "it was pretty run down." They wrote the owners have since worked nonstop to make improvements to the store, which is well-known for the massive tank that failed.

The organizer said when the tank failed it "destroyed everything in sight" and while the owners have insurance, it's not known whether all of the damage will be covered.

"In the unfortunate event that that the full tank is not covered, they would truly need the fund to help replace the tank and see the vision come to life," the wrote. "If you can support in any way, it would be amazing."