aquarium
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aquarium / fish tank
A glass container filled with water in which fish, other aquatic animals, and aquatic plants are kept.
Die Kinder schauen fasziniert den bunten Fischen im Aquarium zu.
The children watch the colorful fish in the aquarium with fascination.
The preposition 'in' is used with either the dative or accusative depending on the context. 'Im Aquarium' (in + dem; in the aquarium) describes a location, while 'ins Aquarium' (in + das; into/to the aquarium) indicates a direction or destination.
Die Fische schwimmen ruhig im Aquarium.
The fish are swimming calmly in the aquarium.
The context reveals whether the container at home (m01) or the public building (m02) is meant. Verbs like 'sauber machen' (to clean) or 'kaufen' (to buy) point to the container, while 'besuchen' (to visit) or 'besichtigen' (to tour/see) point to the building.
Ich muss am Wochenende mein Aquarium sauber machen.
I have to clean my aquarium at the weekend.
When it is about the container at home, typical verbs are 'ein Aquarium einrichten' (to set up an aquarium), 'Fische im Aquarium halten' (to keep fish in an aquarium), or 'das Wasser im Aquarium wechseln' (to change the water in the aquarium).
Er hat sein neues Aquarium mit vielen Pflanzen eingerichtet.
He set up his new aquarium with lots of plants.
zoo
'der Zoo' and 'das Aquarium' can both be places where you look at living animals. In a zoo, there are many different animal species on land and sometimes also birds or other animals. An aquarium, by contrast, is related to aquatic animals and aquatic plants. It can be a glass tank at home or a public facility with many aquatic animals. Learners may confuse the words because public aquariums are visited in a similar way to zoos. When it is generally about many animal species, you say 'Zoo'; when it is about fish and other aquatic animals, 'Aquarium' is more precise.
Vor dem Termin schaut Mehmet im Aquarium den bunten Fischen zu.
Before the appointment, Mehmet watches the colorful fish in the aquarium.
Im Zoo fotografiert Lisa die Affen und die Löwen.
At the zoo, Lisa takes photos of the monkeys and the lions.