I also found local fish keepers on Facebook to buy fish from. I’d checked out of Facebook for about seven years, but got back on recently and Voila! Local folks selling their fish.
When I got into fish keeping I killed plenty of fish without meaning to. Now my tank practically runs itself and it is a relaxing hobby. Good advice to have a quarantine tank to keep new fish in for about a month at least. Don’t give up.
I use good quality artificial (most silk) in my tanks. I can’t keep a plant alive for anything. My fish are fine and haven’t complained about the decor, so we’re good.