Meet the goldfish with a “wheelchair”
<p>While it’s not uncommon to see dogs using custom wheelchairs to help them walk, a goldfish with one is certainly not something you see every day. An inventive aquarium worker named Derek has become an online sensation, after he crafted a makeshift “wheelchair” to help a goldfish. The cute little aquatic critter was brought into the shop by its owner, who said it was struggling to float upright due to a bladder disorder.</p>
<p><img width="499" height="665" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/34289/image__499x665.jpg" alt="fish (1)" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p>
<p>Derek sent the sweet photo to his friend, Taylor, who then shared it to Twitter, where it has been retweeted more than 25,000 times and received over 75,000 likes.</p>
<p>Chatting to <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/tanyachen/goldfish-wheelchair" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">BuzzFeed</span></strong></a>, Derek revealed how he created the clever apparatus. “I got some airline 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.”</p>
<p>Yesterday, Taylor issued an update to the goldfish’s many new fans, writing, “just wanted to let you guys know wheelchair fish is still doing well and got an even more comfortable wheelchair.”</p>
<p><img width="498" height="245" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/34290/fish-wheelchair_498x245.jpg" alt="Fish Wheelchair" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p>
<p><em>Images: @taylorndean / Twitter.</em></p>
