Oranda might be sick

Question
I bought my first fish a week ago.  His name is Fishy Fantastico!  At first he swam around a lot, but for the past two days he hasn't been eating as much and he sort of sits around.  There are long stings of poop: sometimes the color of his food, sometimes clear.  I don't know what to do.  Is he sick, or am I just being a worry wart?

Answer
Hi Grace,
Believe or not, fish don't need to eat very much. Your goldfish should be eating no more than a few very small pinches a day.
As to why he may be sick, it depends on a lot of things. First off, being a Fancy Goldfish, he should be in at least a 20 gallon tank with a filter. His temperature should be somewhere between 65-75 degrees, and weekly water changes must be maintained. You might also check his water to see the ammonia levels and such.
You can usually get free water testing done at any local pet store, and if you have too small of a tank, Wal-Mart usually has good deals on starter tanks. Much cheaper than at most pet stores, but the filters they come with aren't as good. Even so, a cheap filter is better than none at all.
If you feel that none of this applied to you, then please give more details and I will try to help. Best of wishes.