No problem, dawn. And yes, goldfish LOVE veggies...in fact, it's almost an essential part of their diet. Blanched lettuce, broccoli, zucchini, potato...even bits of watermelon!
To feed the peas you can usually warm them in your hand for a few minutes, then squeeze the insides out of the shell. If you just plop the whole thing in there, the goldfish usually can't eat it. If you have a very small goldfish, it is helpful to mash the thing into smaller pieces with your fingernail. Nossie has a great article on food for goldies...I don't know how to post a link, but if you look through past topics in the General Discussion section you'll be sure to find it.
Also, perfect water quality should help him to heal faster. If you aren't doing it already, it's a good idea to test your water parameters. Nitrate levels over 40 ppm in the water will also harm a goldie's swim bladder. The Epsom salts should work wonders as well.
One thing I've heard is that lowering the water level is good for SB because the density of the water is less, and thus the fish doesn't have to work so hard to stay upright. That's why he's probably doing a bit better in the bowl.
Thanks for the plastic cup compliment Nossie.
Although, I have a friend who has to use an old ice-cream container for her fish, it's so large.
It's good idea, like Nossie said, to stop removing the fish from the tank while doing water changes. The only time you should transport the fish is if you have to treat it for an illness/problem or quarantine it.
When you siphon the gravel, just make sure not to suck the fish up.
I rubber-banded a square of screening over one opening of mine so that doesn't happen.
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