This goldfish got a one of a kind wheelchair. Photo / Twitter
This goldfish got a one of a kind wheelchair. Photo / Twitter
A goldfish suffering from swim bladder disease has been given a new lease on life by an aquarium worker.
Derek, a 20-year-old in San Antonio, said the fish had permanent swim bladder disease, caused by bacteria or parasites, and was stuck at the bottom of its tank.
The disease affectsa goldfish's floatation stability, meaning it loses its buoyancy and floats to the top of the tank, leans on one side or swims upside down.
Derek told BuzzFeed he decided to create a "one-of-a-kind wheelchair".
"I got some air line tubing that people usually use in their tank and just placed it around the goldfish. I added some valves to the bottom of it, which acted as a 'chair' to prop him up. I added weights to the bottom of the 'chair' and something to keep him afloat on top [styrofoam], and slowly removed pieces until I achieved just the right buoyancy to make it easy for him to swim around without feeling like he's dragging around a chair."
"Think of goldfish as the pugs of the fish world," Derek added. "Pugs have unique features due to the way they were bred, but it also causes them a lot of medical problems - same with goldfish!"
Derek's friend Taylor Dean, who makes a living from educational animal videos on YouTube, tweeted about the wheelchair.
