Well, what about the whole diet angle - have you tried feeding him peas with skin removed (to unblock his digestive tract, if thats the problem) and good quality fish food (for overall health). Garlic is good if there is something bacterial going on - also make sure your water quality is good both for the health of the fish.... plus if you have a healthy colony of beneficial bacteria in your biofilters then I think those help to crowd out the more harmful ones to some extent.

http://www.wikihow.com/Fix-Swim-Bladder-Disease-in-Goldfish

No our fish are not "just fish." They are beloved pets!!! Mine even follow me around the pond like puppy dogs. Well ok, obviously they cant sleep on our bed with us or fetch LOL - but they are still cute and friendly.... and loved. People who dont have fish dont know this - I sure didnt.

Sorry to hear of your pond friend...the swim bladder issues goldfish have is something very serious and I think breeders need to stop inbreeding these poor fish. I think it's a genetic thing in at least some cases...I have a 50 gallon stock tank full of goldfish that are not swimming properly...all of them look energized and healthy otherwise, but their swim bladder issues would have them dead outside in the pond. They are fed Repashy and small sinking pellets.

I don't have the heart to put them down, but if one starts looking "sad" I will do it if need be. I stopped buying fancy goldfish for this reason. All my koi are strong and healthy,btw...no issues there at all.

Teeka, could not agree more with your 2nd sentence. The inbreeding of not only fish but dogs to the point of impaired health is animal abuse imho and now they're even starting on cats.

OP, Im sorry I didnt give you proper sympathies with my earlier post - clearly, you did everything you could for your fishie and the fact that he had so many happy healthy years is a testament to the good care you gave him.