NILES — A malfunction with the filtration system at Eastwood Mall Aquarium’s main tank led to the death of a shark.

“It’s an unforeseen plumbing malfunction that caused the oxygen level in the tank to drop,” said Joe Bell, director of corporate communications for Niles-based Cafaro Company, which owns and operates Eastwood Mall.

The shark “was on the bottom of the tank and it was in distress,” Bell said.

That shark died as a result of the malfunction, but other sharks and fish in that tank are fine, he said. They were moved to either one of the side tanks or to a “hospital tank” at the mall by the aquarium’s curator, Bell said.

The aquarium is temporarily closed to the public.

“The system has been temporarily fixed, but the sharks and fish won’t return to the main tank until it’s cleaned and an upgrade is done,” Bell said.

The mall opened the aquarium in 2005 in the center court.

This is the first time a tank at the mall aquarium malfuctioned leading to a death, he said.