Goldfish problem

Question
QUESTION: My fish has been staying low to the ground won't move higher than an inch. It hasn't eaten much today and gets agitated and swims away from me to hide.

ANSWER: William,

What size tank is the goldfish in? How many other goldfish are in the tank with him, or other fish? What are the water perimeters? Meaning, what are your tanks levels of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates? How often do you do water changes and how much water do you change out? What are you feeding the goldfish? How long have you had this fish? I need as much information you can give me so I can give you the best possible advice to help out the fish. I will wait to hear back from you.

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QUESTION: A 6 gallon tank, there are no other fish in there with him, I don't know his water perimeters,i do water changes every three months but I put more water in every two weeks, I feed him tap fin fish flakes, I have had him for a year.

ANSWER: William,
One goldfish should be in a tank no smaller than 20 gallons. Also, water changes should be 25% weekly. Goldfish are huge waste producers and he is swimming around in his waste. Eventually, it will start to cause problems like the ones you are seeing now. Do a large 50% water change today. Make sure to vacuum the gravel at this time too. Make sure you are using a good water conditioner with the new clean water. Do another 25% water change tomorrow. You should be testing the water weekly. Do not use the test strips because they are unreliable. Always use the liquid testing kits. I think that once you are changing the water regularly you should see an improvement in your goldfish. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

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QUESTION: I told u the wrong size for my tank I was thinking of my other tank. His tank now is 15 gallons. I took a water sample to pet smart and they said the water was fine. I was told he might have blotting and they said to give him a pea.

Answer
William,
Unfortunately, places like petsmart use test trips to test the water and they are not reliable. Always use a liquid testing kit. Even 15 gallons is too small for goldfish. They are huge waste producers because they do not have a stomach. It is a good idea to feed him the pea. Make sure it is cooked and that you remove the outer shell. Do not feed the outer shell because he will not be able to digest it. Fast him for 2 days prior to feeding the pea and then 2 days after. Let me know how he is doing after you feed him the pea.