But will he remember who was there for him? Dying goldfish Monstro who'd turned black, couldn't swim and had lesions on his belly is nursed back to health by devoted new owner - and now he's bright orange and doing back flips

by · Mail Online
  • TikTok user Lacey Scott, 30, shared video of fish's journey back to health
  • The ten-year-old fish, who she named Monstro, had been turned in to a pet store
  • Lacey set up a 'fish hospital' consisting of water filled with aquarium salt
  • He slowly started swimming again and shed his dark blue colour

It's not every day that a fish makes social media users cry. 

But that is what happened when TikTok user Lacey Scott, 30, 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 shade. 

Dying goldfish in Kansas transformed as he's nursed back to health
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
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

So Lacey, who has thousands of social media followers under the name of @heretherebesculptures, set up a 'fish hospital' to help him - buying an 85-gallon tank for Monstro, as well as several other fish so that he'd have some company. 

Lacey put Monstro in water filled with aquarium salt and she made sure to change the water every day for the first few weeks, explaining that clean water can work wonders for a fish. 

She also gave him one round of medication, explaining that she wanted to air on the side of caution when it came to caring for her new pet. 

'Aquarium salt can help speed the healing of injuries while reducing the risk of infection. 

'It can help relax the fish (kind of like we might take an Epsom salt bath), and it’s pretty effective against a lot of bacteria, fungi, and parasites,' she told Jam Press.

'As for the water changes, I don’t think people realize just how much good clean water can help a fish. 

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

'Once he started eating, I did eventually treat him with one round of medication just to be safe, which I think helped speed things along. But it was touch and go in the beginning.' 

Slowly but surely, the fish began transforming in front of her. 

She watched as Monstro was restored to his bright bold orange color - while also gaining enough energy to start swimming around the tank. 

He is now so healthy that he can do 'back flips' and charges around his tank like a 'bumper car', Lacey claimed. He has also grown in size.     

'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,' Lacey confessed.   

Lacey 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

'I thought at least I can give him a home and make him comfortable in his last days, so of course, I was over the moon when he started improving!' 

Now, he is a bright orange color 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'. 

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 color over their lives, factors such as water quality, stress and light can influence how they look.

The video of his transformation has since been viewed nearly six million times and has had 1.5 million likes. 

People who saw the video on TikTok and Twitter said they were left in tears by the heartwarming clip.   

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.