Casbah Cafe, 3151 N. Broadway, posted a sign earlier this month saying it's temporarily closed, but now neighbors are concerned about fish living in a dirty tank in the restaurant. [DNAinfo/Ariel Cheung]
EAST LAKEVIEW — Forget about the whales — who's going to save the fish?
A Mediterranean restaurant that closed in East Lakeview earlier this month left behind an aquarium that now has some neighbors concerned. There are fish still swimming in it ... but the water is running low.
The slowly draining, algae-covered tank is inside Casbah Cafe at 3151 N. Broadway. Neighbors are hoping to reach the owners in time to save the finned friends.
On Wednesday, Animal Care and Control posted a notice on the door of the eatery, giving the owners 48 hours to remove the fish. The notice says the city received a complaint that the fish weren't being cared for properly.
Animal Care and Control posted this notice on the door of Casbah Cafe, warning them they had 48 hours to remove the fish from the tank. [Provided]
Earlier this month, the restaurant posted a sign saying it was "closed temporarily."
Since then, at least one neighbor has spotted the fish swimming in gradually less and less water. The tank, which is visible from outside the restaurant's windows, appeared about one-quarter full on Tuesday.
"The fish in the tank have taken to eating the algal growth on the sides of the tank. At the rate it is going, there should be no water left in a week or so," wrote EveryBlock user ctsu. "Going to call 311 today ... might be too late to save the fish, tho."
On Tuesday, neighbor Laconda Tsuhako said she called 311, which said it would refer the case to Animal Care and Control.
Tsuhako said the water level has been dropping for three weeks and is now below the pump that aerates the water. At least two fish could be seen swimming in the tank Tuesday.
"They seem to be gasping, so I would guess the water is not oxygenated," Tsuhako told DNAinfo. "Not to mention, I assume they haven't been fed."
No one answered the phone at the restaurant, and other attempts to contact the owners were unsuccessful.
The Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce received a call concerning the fish, said spokeswoman Jessica Mayo. With the holidays making it harder to contact the business owners or landlord, the chamber referred the complaint to Ald. Tom Tunney (44th).
Tunney's office called the landlord and the restaurant owners but did not get a response, said Julie Levar, Tunney's communications director.
Casbah Cafe has been in Lakeview since 1962 and serves such Mediterranean dishes as Moroccan lamb, mousaka and chicken maragaz.
Casbah Cafe, 3151 N. Broadway, posted a sign earlier this month saying it's temporarily closed, but now neighbors are concerned about fish living in a dirty tank inside the restaurant. [DNAinfo/Ariel Cheung]
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