Swimming should come naturally to an animal that spends its entire life cycle in water, but there are times when nature needs some assistance.
Reddit user leability posted a picture of a goldfish that was having a tad bit of trouble swimming upright. The solution: a cork backpack, or as leability called it, "a goldfish 'wheelchair.'" Corks float in water, so when a piece of cork was attached to the fish, he was able to stay upright.
The fish is probably tipsy due to an infected swim bladder, Mental Floss surmised, which can occur for various reasons, but Redditors think the fish had too much protein in its diet. Leability couldn't speak to the fancy, rich diet of this particular goldfish, since it isn't her fish.
An infected swim bladder should be treated by withholding food for three days, according to About Homes. After three days have passed, start the fish off on skinned peas. Handfed skinned peas. Goldfish with an infected swim bladder often can't get to the surface, so they can't reach food. Other ways to ease your finned friend's ails: raise the water temperature to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, reduce water flow, add some aquarium salt to the water and administer broad-spectrum antibiotics.
We're rooting for Corky (also not our fish, so that's probably not his real name) and hope his tummy troubles are soon over!
