The Bed-Stuy “aquarium” is back.
The neighborhood’s beloved sidewalk fish pond was resurrected this week — in an act of defiance that comes just five days after the city cemented over the original and left the neighborhood’s goldfish to die.
A new-and-improved version of the aquarium now sits in a tree pit next to the original cracked sidewalk location — and now boasts a solar-powered water filter, a tiled tank and a heater for their scaly friends.
The new spot seems to be safe from the city for now, with DEP officials telling The Post it is not affecting city infrastructure — as organizers vowed to continue rebuilding the aquarium should it get torn up yet again.
“We are not giving up. That’s the thing. We have not given up. And we’re not giving up. We’ve turned this into something,” said Brenda Starr, one of the organizers, told The Post Friday about the fish pond at Hancock Street and Tompkins Avenue.
Neighbors were elated at the aquarium’s reappearance Friday — and a crowd of oglers surrounded the water pit to watch the teensy orange pets swim through their new tank.
“It’s a very classic Brooklyn thing to just do something weird like that,” said Joan, 33, a lifelong borough resident who made a detour during her morning coffee run to visit the aquarium.
“This neighborhood’s always been standing up to authority and this is a very lovely little, very innocent, wholesome way to stand up to something.”
Shake Gonzalez, 39, dropped off a free little library for the accumulating book pile next to the aquarium. Gonzalez, who is opening a cannabis shop down the block, explained the gift was a token of her excitement about joining the tight-knit community.
Jayca, 34, and Juliana Watson, 29, and their 6-month-old daughter Ingrid, of Jacksonville, Florida, added the Brooklyn hotspot to their vacation itinerary this week, despite their trip centering on the New York Botanical Garden.
The family had been following the Bed-Stuy Aquarium’s saga along on social media since it first sprouted up over the summer and were overjoyed that organizers brought it back to life — just in time for their visit.
“I love it,” said Jayca.
“I think it’s really good for their community because it’s something that’s brought the community together. And it means that they can bring a community together. It’s amazing.”
“The people that are here really care about this whole little project.”
The neighborhood worked to rebuild the aquarium almost immediately after the FDNY destroyed the original pond under the cover of darkness last week.
The dozens of tiny fish are also new to the aquarium — the originals were killed Friday when FDNY officials ripped them from their makeshift home in cracked sidewalk flag and dumped them before paving over the puddle.
The massacre was “heartbreaking,” according to Starr, who wept when she saw the dead fish.
The community erected a makeshift vigil at the site, laying down candles and flowers, before organizers got to work to bring the aquarium back.
“People don’t realize understand the joy that it brought for the neighborhood,” Jequan Irving, another Aquarium organizer said.
“It changed the atmosphere. It changed the mood. It changed everything about the neighborhood. It just changed all of that … They’re trying to find a way to take it away and for what?”
This time, however, it seems the aquarium might be able to stay.
The miniature pond is no longer impeding any city infrastructure, as it was when it was utilizing the leaking water from the corner fire hydrant.
The new tank is tucked away in the tree pit, meaning it technically lies on Parks Department property, but the agency has not made any efforts to remove it.
The department did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
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