How do I get my goldfish to eat sinking pellets?

I've been feeding my goldfish flake foods and now whenever I feed them sinking pellets they only stay at the top thinking there's flakes while the pellets just go straight down to the bottom and they don't even notice it.

feed them what you know they will eat. maybe they think the pellets are just more gravel or whatever. if some type of food is working, stick with it.

Why do they need to eat pellets. Keep feeding them the flakes, it is what they like.

They will eat them in time. Right now, if all they've gotten is flakes, that's what they'll expect when you go to the tank. But have you ever noticed them rooting through the gravel minutes or hours after you fed the flakes? Searching the bottom is something they'll do naturally. And once they discover that the pellets are food, they'll go to them as soon as they're added to the tank, or at least as soon as they're soft enough to swallow. You can help here a little by presoaking them in a little tank water.

And pellets are better as food, at least in my opinion. Flakes too often get pulled into the filter before your fish has the chance to eat them, so they go to waste. As long as you don't drop the pellets too close to the filer intake, they drop to the gravel where your fish can find them.

Besides the pellets, you can give the goldfish some leaf lettuce, sliced squash or cucumbers, squashed peas, or orange slices as a treat. It may take a little while for them to realize these are food as well, so don't let them sit in the tank for too long or they'll rot. But the goldfish can benefit from the added fiber in their diet.