Hi Amy,
Glad to hear your treatment is finally sounding to be successful, and that he's now able to eat food by the mouthful, no doubt in smaller quantities at a time. Yes, the water changes out of salt will help revive his vigor. I recommended only the amount of salt I knew he'd be able to handle, yet still not be beyond his tolerances, but with as much activity towards eliminating infection as could be administered under the specific limits. I did say that he may appear tired, but now that healing is taking place, just do further 25% PWC's with no more salt additives and the water should gradually be completely fresh (without salt) within a couple of weeks.
Could be his swimming at the front of the tank was his way of thanking you for pulling him through this -- of course, with his regained appetite having something to do with this < g >.
Goldfish are naturally mid-water and bottom feeders, and that's really where they should be fed, even though many hobbyists prefer to feed them floating foods. Floating foods are easier to find though as not all the sinking food may be found as easily once it scatters on the bottom -- and it's easiest for the hobbyist to determine when floating food is all consumed. Since your fish prefers to eat off of the bottom, and it's easiest for him to do so, continue with this method of feeding but just keep after cleaning up afterwards.
You'll want to wean him over to sinking pellets now, as I believe Dawan mentioned. If he's eaten pellets before, this should be no problem. If not, just mix in the pellets with the frozen bloodworms until he learns that it's food.
You'll need to buy sinking mimi-pellets for him. I use Blue Ridge Koi & Goldfish mini-pellets myself, but they're the floating variety. The also offer their Sho-Koi Gold Sinking Pellets, and should have a mini-sized one available, but I don't know if they're available in the UK. Hikari offers their Gold Sinking Mini-Pellet and also has an even smaller Gold Baby Sinking Pellet, which you may need.
Otherwise, Omega One has a goldfish sinking mini-pellet, as do Aquarian, Kusuri, Microbe-Lift and Wardley's. Check out Bradshaws goldfish pellets for a sinking pellet too, as they make a premium food in the UK. There are some manufacturers that offer slow sinking pellts which I think you should avoid for him; Medigold is one of these. You may still need to pre-soak these pellets for a very short time so that you can more quickly place them at the feeding location mixed with the bloodworms. I don't know of any other foods that are worm-like, except perhaps for frozen or freeze-dried tubifex -- but which is also a high protein food. Try the pellets and see what happens.
Ray
--- In tropicalfishclub@yahoogroups.com, froggylover2425 <no_reply@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Everyone,
>
> Firstly i want to thank you all, youve been so patient with me, and helped through this terrible time.
>
> Secondly i wanted to tell you that almost instantly after eating the blood worms and a water change he was like a different fish. I figured it was more to do with getting rid of some of the salt as well as a bit of food.
>
> Today though, he has been so active and generally much brighter, his wounds look good as can be right now. He started to do this thing that all my fish do when i come near the tank, they kind of swim quick side to side almost excited because they want food. I was so thrilled he did that because hes been scared of me after what happened. So after him telling me he was hungry, I tried feeding a small pile of frozen blood worms to marhsmallow again tonight.. and wow! he ate two big mouthfulls!!
>
> He was going nuts like he used to lol. I had to rearrange them back in a pile after hed pushed them around so he could eat, he seems to struggle with one or two, he needs a pile of food. I am about to take the left over out because im worried hell eat too much too quick, and as its very high protein.
>
> I know hes not out of the woods, and of course how i can get other food in him that are worm like i just dont know. But for now im pleased hes a bit better and enjoying food.
>
> Amy x
>
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