Welcome to the World of Goldfish

 

Welcome to the world of goldfish. 

 

Well, to be more accurate, my particular little corner of the world of goldfish.

We may be alike you and I.  We may have found ourselves beginning at the same place only years apart.  Standing on warm asphalt on a Spring day amidst the sights and sounds of a local church carnival  or county fair holding up a plastic bag or tiny container into the sunlight to marvel at the bejeweled tiny goldfish looking at you unblinking from inside and you wondering what to do next.  

You are at a crossroads.  Do you stick Goldie in a bowl and toss in a few fish flakes every day until one day, Goldie stars in his own little fish funeral.  Or do you do a little digging discovering you can meet your new fish friend's basic needs quickly, easily and affordably while developing a new appreciation for this tiny but magical little being.

Settling into my new home here on a blog platform perhaps feels a little like how a new goldfish feels settling into his/her new home.  Everything looks strange and maybe my environment is not responding as I would like it to and I want to run back into my castle hide and wait for the dust to clear.  
Then I poke my head out and try again.  After a bit, it feels as comfortable as is I had been here forever.

My name is Nancy and I am a goldfish hobbyist/enthusiast.  I have learned a lot over the past decade about keeping goldfish at home.  They are beautiful creatures with a mysterious magnetism that draws me in to their world just as close as I dare.

They also compel me to do the very best I can to understand them and go beyond the basics of water, food, light.... that's just not enough.  Along the way I have discovered, as you will, the satisfaction and joy that comes with seeing them grow, thrive and become more beautiful and more personable than you thought possible.

Today I enjoy caring for four, seven hundred plus gallon outdoor above ground ponds home to common and comet goldfish as well as a few koi.  

Inside is where my fancy friends abide in aquariums ranging from thirty to seventy-five gallons.  ryukins, one calico rancho, a butterfly telescope, a mutant little ryukin/oranda cross and several beautiful Thai and Chinese orandas fill the room with beauty, comedy and a bit of drama.  

Whether I am sitting outside on a tree stump watching a seven inch common named Big Red bask in the sun of his little glass observation tower above the pond's surface or lying on the day bed while Jingle, Sgt. Pepper and Mr Burns scuffle over a newly discovered morsel, they mesmerize and lighten my spirit.

This is just an introduction.  But lets jump right in next and help you as well as little carnival or pet store Goldie need to get started off as best as possible.

The next post will be about creating a quick set up when you find yourself with a fish out of water or perhaps more precisely; a fish in a plastic bag that needs a home.... fast.