It’s not every day that a fish makes social media users cry.
But that is what happened when TikTok user Lacey Scott, from Kansas, shared a video of how she nursed a dying 10-year-old goldfish back to health.
Lacey named the fish Monstro after she took him home from a pet store where he had been turned in by his previous owner.
At the time, Monstro was so sick that he could no longer swim and had developed lesions on his belly from lying in the gravel on the floor of his tank. He had also turned a very dark blue.
But Lacey, who has thousands of social media followers under the name of @heretherebesculptures, set up a ‘fish hospital’ to help him.
TikTok user Lacey Scott, from Kansas, shared a video of how she nursed a dying 10-year-old goldfish back to health. The fish, named Monstro, could no longer swim and had turned a very dark blue. But he has since turned mostly orange and is swimming again
By putting Monstro into water filled with aquarium salt and changing the liquid daily, the lucky goldfish was slowly restored to a bright orange colour and started swimming again.
He is now so healthy that he can do ‘backflips’ and charges around his tank like a ‘bumper car’, Lacey claimed. He has also grown in size.
The video of his transformation has since been viewed nearly six million times and has had 1.5million likes.
People who saw the video on TikTok and Twitter said they were left in tears by the heartwarming video.
Monstro slowly turned from a very dark blue to a mostly bright orange colour
He was so ill that he could no longer swim and so had developed lesions on his belly from lying in the gravel on the floor of his tank
Lacey, who makes and sells animal sculptures or a living, told Bored Panda that she didn’t think Monstro would survive when she brought him home from a pet store.
She said her biggest challenge was trying to work out what was wrong with the fish.
‘I honestly didn’t think he was going to make it, but I couldn’t stand the thought of such an old fish wasting away the last of his days alone in a store,’ she said.
To treat him, she said she started with aquarium salt and daily water changes, which help ‘speed the healing of injuries while reducing the risk of infection.’
She added that the salt helped to relax Monstro and is effective against bacteria and parasites.
One he started eating, she treated him with a round of medication to speed his recoverym and was delighted when Monstro’s condition started to improve.
She moved him to a bigger tank to be with other fish. Slowly, his blackened scales began to change colour – making him partly orange – and he was able to swim once more.
Lacey named him Monstro because she said he reminded her of the ‘whale from Pinocchio’
Now, he is a bright orange colour and Lacey said he is a ‘high maintenance diva’.
He regularly comes to the glass to ‘beg for attention’ and reminds Lacey of a ‘bumper car’ because he bounces off things or will ‘end up doing a backflip’.
The sculptor said it is important to feed fish a good diet, such as ‘leafy greens’, ‘blood worms’ and ‘blanched veggies.’
She named him Monstro because she said he reminded her of the ‘whale from Pinocchio’.
Lacey, who has thousands of social media followers under the name of @heretherebesculptures, set up a ‘fish hospital’ to help him
By putting Monstro into water filled with aquarium salt and changing the liquid daily, the lucky goldfish was slowly restored to a bright orange colour and started swimming again
He is now so healthy that he can do ‘backflips’ and charges around his tank like a ‘bumper car’, Lacey claimed
She said that while it is not uncommon for fish to change colour over their lives, factors such as water quality, stress and light can influence how they look.
The video of Monstro prompted thousands of comments from users on TikTok and Twitter, with many people admitting that they were left in tears.
One wrote: ‘You’re telling me this goldfish was wearing all black because he was SAD? I love him so much.’
Another added: ‘I’ve never felt so emotional over a fish.’
The video of Monstro prompted thousands of comments from users on TikTok and Twitter, with many people admitting that they were left in tears
A third said: ‘Oh ok cool I didn’t plan on sobbing about a fish today but HERE WE ARE.’
The RSPCA say that people mistakenly believe that goldfish are easy to take care of and do not live very long.
In fact, they can live for up to 25 years if they are properly looked after.
They need a ‘large well maintained aquarium with filter (not a goldfish bowl),’ they said.
They added that most health conditions are triggered by poor water quality and so it should first be tested if there are any medical problems.