black gold fish in trouble

Question
hi,
i have a small black gold fish.  he is about six months old.  he lives in a very
large bowl.  today, after i changed the bowl, my friends noticed he didn't look
too well.  i added the drops, i pay attention to the water temp.  the only
difference was that this water came from my shower instead of the kitchen
sink.  i took him out of the bowl and put him in water from the sink.  
he is not swimming crooked, but he has all these little bubble (it looks like)
around his eyes and belly.  it may look like a hair or something in around his
eyes.  he seems to be having trouble staying down.  like he's fighting to go
lower.  does this sound like a typical problem?

Answer
Hi Alicia,
I'll start with the bad news. Unfortunately, a bowl is too small for any goldfish. Since all goldfish will grow to at least 6 inches by their third birthday (some over a foot!) a bowl is not reasonable.
Another reason why I never recommend a bowl is because you will never be able to keep it clean enough. The toxic stuff that kills fish, which is ammonia produced by extra food, dead fish, and fish poop, is completely invisible. And while your bowl or tank may look crystal clean, it can actually seem like a vat of poison to your poor fish!
So in order to keep him healthy and alive (all goldfish actually can live upwards of 12 years! Some have been recorded to live for over 20.) I would first and foremost recommend a much larger tank for the little guy. At least a 20 gallon, and it does need a filter. You can get a 20 gallon starter kit for usually around 25 bucks at Wal-Mart.
Here's the good news. It sounds like at the moment, besides suffering from ammonia poisoning, your fish most likely has Swim Bladder problems. Why is this good news? Because if observed quickly, it can be treated very easily. Simply fast him (don't feed) for 48 hours, and then give him small amounts of shelled peas (this aids in digestion.)
Goldfish are prone to swim bladder problems, and it is usually induced by overfeeding. When overfed, their stomachs expand and press against their swim bladder, and they can't float or breathe properly.
Keep in mind that a fish's stomach is only as big as his eye! It may seem like a small amount of food, but these are small animals!
For any other questions you might have, I suggest going to www.flippersandfins.net and look under goldfish.
I hope this helped and best of wishes to all your fishes.