can dwarf gourami recover?

[abfab]

My 20g tank is a few months old. I started with 3 dwarf gouramis, but am now down to two after one died from high ammonia. for over a week another has been hiding, not eating and sitting on the gravel, so i suspect it may have developed ammonia toxicity as well. The water has had zero ammonia, n02 and n03 for about two weeks now, but i think the damage may have already been done. It barely moves so i had to watch closely to see if it was still alive. I've been waiting to see if it would recover or die. By looking at it i don't see any physically wrong other than its behaviour. The third gourami looks healthy.

Yesterday i added two ryukins. when i went to feed this morning the 'unhealthy' gourami seemed energetic and was chasingplaying with the new fish, so i thought it was a social issue, but then later in the morning it was back to its usually unresponsive self.

is there any hope that it will recover?

 

[An t-iasg]

The gourami may recover if you keep the water very clean. By doing extra water changes, you're giving the fish nice, pristine water and that can aid in recovery. This isn't a guarantee of its recovery, but clean water can go a long way in helping a fish to recover.

However - I see another concern. You've added two ryukins to a 20-gallon tank. Goldfish in general are messy fish (meaning they produce a lot of waste). Tanks with goldfish may need more filtration and more water changes than a tropical tank to keep all the inhabitants healthy. Two goldfish is the limit for a 20 gallon tank, and you have two other fish in there. I would not add any more fish to this tank. Also, goldfish prefer cooler water than the tropical fish do (the gouramis) and for that reason, plus the fact that goldfish are big waste producers, most people don't mix goldfish plus tropical fish in the same tank. You'll have to watch your parameters closely to avoid getting an ammonia spike, which would not be good for the ill gourami.

 

[abfab]

thanks. i didn't realize until after i got them that their care requirements were so different. i'll definitely keep a close eye on my parameters.
s.