Anabantoidei

The Anabantoidei is a suborder of perciform ray-finned freshwater fish distinguished by their possession of a lung-like labyrinth organ, which enables them to breathe air. The fish in the Anabantoidei suborder are known as anabantoids or labyrinth fish. Some labyrinth fish are important food fish and many others, such as the Siamese fighting fish and paradise fish, are popular as aquarium fish.

Labyrinth organ

This organ allows labyrinth fish to take in oxygen directly from the air, instead of taking it from the water in which they reside through use of gills. The labyrinth organ helps the inhaled oxygen to be absorbed into the bloodstream. As a result, labyrinth fish can survive for a short period of time out of water, as they can inhale the air around them, provided they stay moist.

Labyrinth fish are not born with functional labyrinth organs. The development of the organ is gradual and most labyrinth fish fry breathe entirely with their gills and develop the labyrinth organs when they grow older. In these species, males hold the eggs and fry in their mouth and release the free-swimming fry about a week to ten days after spawning.

Anabantoids as food fish

Other smaller labyrinth fish, such as the climbing perch, the kissing gourami, the snakeskin gourami, and other gouramies of the genus Trichogaster are local food fish in Southeast Asia.

Anabantoids as aquarium fish

The Siamese fighting fish is perhaps the most popular labyrinth fish in the aquarium trade. The paradise fish also has a long aquarium history and was one of the first aquarium fish introduced to the West. Many species of gouramies, particular the three spot gourami and the dwarf gourami, are commercially bred for the trade and several color morphs are commonly available. Because of their capability to utilize atmospheric oxygen, these fish generally are not so dependent on a form of aeration in their tank, as they can rise to the surface of the water and take a breath. This makes them a very hardy fish that can survive in less-than-ideal tank conditions. Unfortunately, because of this quality, labyrinth fish are often kept in small confined areas, or even tiny cups in the case of the Siamese fighting fish. Many of the labyrinth fish are peaceful and do well in most community tanks. However, individual males, especially the Siamese fighting fish and paradise fish, are territorial towards each other. So, a large aquarium with only one male per tank is ideal to reduce aggression.

==References==

Category:Perciformes