So I (my 7yr old did, actually) got a goldfish from my sister in law two weeks ago for his birthday. He named it Goldie. Cute right? What wasn't cute was the bowl, stupid little pineapple under the sea and a miserable looking little plastic plant. We had a couple near death experiences in the bowl the first couple of days. I am not a person that can receive a living thing and just allow it to die and be done with it, so I started reading, and reading, and reading. Ive never owned a fish in my life.(I'm actually quite surprised someone saw it fit that I be responsible for a human being) Mostly because I watched my sister flush several down the toilet as a child and the whole idea of a disposable pet seemed kinda dumb. In a panic went to the pet store bought and MOST of the necessary startup equipment and went to work. I'm still reading and researching and trying to fix the things I do wrong as I go without killing this poor animal (it's only been about 12 days) which lead me to this site. And a sudden realization that unbeknownst to me me I am now a "fish person". Pretty sure it's an oranda but can't really tell the difference between a couple of the breeds but as I read I learn a little more every time. I HAD NO IDEA what cool little fish these guys are, and am hoping that I can get him/her through these first crucial weeks without Goldie winding belly up when I get home from work. All off this, long story short is how I wound up here. I've read lots of threads on lots of forums looking for situations similar to mine and found that most had identical tales but I've found some of the most helpful and supportive threads in this group. So now here I am, with two firsts in my life first time fish owner and now forum member.