Go on then. What do we all think.
My goldfish is 23. I am 26. My parents - very clueless regarding fish care - bought him (Spike) and his partner (Buffy - now deceased) when I was a child. Their idea was that they'd teach me to care for something.
I'm not really here for guidance. My best friend and her mother are avid fish keepers and have assisted me in making sure Spike has everything he needs, especially as he is older. He didn't get all his needs met when I was a child, but since I was around 15 and met my friend I've been improving tank size, contents, food, etc.
I'm very lucky to have a goldfish until he is 23. I am aware. I'm also aware they can live way longer in prime conditions, which he unfortunately didn't have for half of his life. So, I have prolonged his life and improved the quality since I was about 15, and am sure that's why he's still here.
But it's very clear he is now old and dying. He still comes for food (at high speed, would you believe) but rests a lot of the time. Given I have spent the last 11 years hyper fixated on this fish, I am finding myself deeply affected by the impending loss of him. Problem is: no one gets it. To most people, he is just a fish.
So as I said, I don't need advice. I don't even need replies. I just know this is the place where people can understand how much I love this fish. He recognises my face, interacts with me during cleans, behaves differently when I'm there. I've had him for all I can remember of my life. I'm struggling with this impending loss.