Goldfish That Can't Swim Gets Makeshift 'Wheelchair'
Best. Goldfish. Owner. Ever.
Isi Parente on Unsplash When it comes to pets, fish totally get the short end of the stick.
People always love talking about their cats and dogs because they're soft and fluffy and you can snuggle and play with them.
And lots of people prefer not to bother taking ownership of small fish because the poor creatures are pretty much expected to die almost as soon as you get their bowl all set up and settled in your room.
Why do goldfish die so fast?
Despite what most of us probably believe, sudden death is not simply a matter of genetic destiny for all goldfish.
It's rather that goldfish, a domesticated version of carp native to eastern Asia, have come to be viewed by people in the West as essentially being disposable.
These are actually the three most common reasons so many goldfish in the U.S. die so quickly:
1. The fish was already half-dead when you got it.
2. Your tank is too small — because despite our love of the tiny goldfish bowl, the minimal tank size for one goldfish is 30 gallons in order for them to reach their potential size of somewhere between 10 to 12 inches.
3. Goldfish bowls are typically unfiltered, making it hard to maintain the clean, well-aerated water goldfish need in order to survive.
But there's at least one pet owner out there in this world who sees things quite differently than most of us do.
Henry Kim, a goldfish owner living in South Korea, created a wheelchair of sort in order to help one of his beloved pets stay afloat.
The little thing was suffering from swim bladder disorder, causing it to either float upside-down or sink to the bottom of its tank.
Kim followed online tutorials in order to teach himself how to craft a plastic floatation device, shown on one of his little buddies in the video below:
"Fish with this issue only live a couple of months," Kim said, "but thanks to this device, one of my fish has lived to be five months old."
Of course, with every good deed shared on the internet, copy cats, fakes and memes are sure to follow.
Reddit was sure not to disappoint, with this makeshift replica of Kim's goldfish wheelchair fashioned from what appears to be a cork, some string, and perhaps gauze.
And videos of others who've tried to give their pets a better goldfish life continue to surface, like this one found on Instagram:
Well, it's always reassuring to know there are good fish owners out there.
Or something like that.
Nicole Weaver is a senior writer for Showbiz Cheat Sheet whose work has been featured in New York Magazine, Teen Vogue, and more.
Editor's Note: This article was originally posted on June 1, 2015 and was updated with the latest information.