Introducing: Labyrinth Fishes
by Ruby Bayan
Labyrinths are so called because they are equipped with an auxiliary sponge-like breathing chamber just above the gills.
Labyrinth fishes are endemic to freshwaters of Asia and Africa. In Asia, they are found thoughout East, Southeast, and South Asia, especially but not exclusively in the warm, slow-flowing, low-oxygenated waters.
These are labyrinth fishes, but do not make any bubble-nest. Tiny eggs float on the water surface and hatch within a day. The parents ignore them.
In the wild, labyrinth fishes live in weedy ponds and ditches which are always deficient in oxygen content. Anabantids rise to the surface and take gulps of air which pass to the labyrinth organ where the oxygen is absorbed by the tissues.
It also covers some exotic fish such as the labyrinth fishes and some goldfish.
Book: The Aquarium, (1904), by Taylor. I have not found any additional information on this book.
Bettas and Gouramis are beautiful labyrinth fishes meaning that they get air at the surface of the water through a labyrinth organ.
Compaitibility with Labyrinth Fishes is potentially fraught with complications: while the smaller species such as Honey Gouramis will probably coexist peacefully from a temperament standpoint, ...
Characteristic of all the Labyrinth fishes, the Honey Gourami is a bubble nest builder. It does not use vegetation in its nest as the Dwarf Gourami does, but it will build the nest under a leaf if available.
Another unseen structure in these fish is the labyrinth organ, which is present in all labyrinth fishes. This organ enables them to take oxygen from the air, thus permitting them to survive in waters with low oxygen levels.
Paradise fish are colorful labyrinth fishes. Though small, they can be aggressive and aren't recommended companions of other slow moving fish such as Angelfish. Body color is dark red, with several blue vertical bands running along the fish.
There are over six dozen species of labyrinth fishes, which are part of the family called Anabantoidei.
References
Vierke, J. (1988): Bettas, gouramis and other anabantoids (Labyrinth fishes of the world), T.F.H. Publications, inc.
Linke, H.(1980): Labyrinthfische - Farbe im Aquarium. Tetra Verlag, Melle, Germany.
This type of fish is also called 'Labyrinth fish'. The Labyrinth fishes are the families Anabantidae, Belontiidae, Osphronemidae, Helostomatidae and Luciocephalidae.
Members of the families Anabantidae, Belontiidae, Helostomatidae, and Osphronemidae, Anabantids are also referred to as the "labyrinth fishes''.
Many of the labyrinth fishes are also territorial, although most, like the blue/opaline/gold/platinum gourami are either too slow or uncoordinated to be much of a threat to many fish.
The reason is that quartz pebbles are able to collect fungi that would otherwise attack the eggs. This is why Labyrinth fishes spit gravel on their bubble nests. They simply remove fungi from the clutch by doing that.
They do like some movement to the top surface of the water as they are one of the Labyrinth fishes. These fish have an organ on the top of their heads that not only allow them to breathe air like we do, but demands it.
Ideal tankmates include riverine Synodontis, large African tetras (such as Brycinus or Alestes spp.), African barbs such as Barbus camptacanthus, riverine African cichlids such as Pelvicachromis, and African labyrinth fishes (Ctenopoma).
 See also: Labyrinth Fish, Fish, Water, Aquarium, Species
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