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LABYRINTH FISH


HELOSTOMATIDAE FAMILY
The Helostomatidae or Kissing Gourami Family consists of the genus Helostoma . The fish of this family are similarto other Gouramis except that they lack the threadlike pelvic fins that other Gouramis posses. The fish of this family inhabit partsof Southeast Asia.

Kissing Gourami
[ Pictures ]
Helostoma temmincki
SYN : Helostomarudolfi, H. servus
PD :An elongated, oval shaped fish with unusually large lips. The head is pointed and the body islaterally compressed. Two color variations exist. One, is olive green with a greenish iridescence. The other is pinkish white with a whitishiridescence. Both color types have colorless fins, with only the rays retaining the body color. The rest of the eye is yellow.
SIZE : To 12" (30 cm), although larger in nature
SS : None
HAB : Muddy, still, vegetation choked lakes, ponds, and rice patties in Southeast Asia;Borneo, Java, Malaysia, Sumatra, and Thailand.
S : All
TANK : A 28" (70 cm) or 20-25 gallon (76-95 L) tank is sufficient for fish to 5"(13 cm). Larger fish require larger tanks. The tank should have a cover of floating plants. Use plastic or tough-leaved plants,as this gourami has a tendency to eat most live plants. Allow algae growth in the back of the tank and provide rocks and woodas retreats.
WATER : pH 6-8 (7.0), 5-30 dH (10), 72-86°F (22-30°C)
SB : Best combined with other medium to large labyrinth fish. Occasionally this species may be aggressivetowards smaller fish. If hungry, it may suck at the scales of large, slow-moving fish.
SC : Barbs, larger Danios, tetras, Corydoras , Botia , Livebearers, Angelfish, Loricarids
FOOD : Live; insects, insect larvae, worms, crustaceans; flakes; pellets; tablets; vegetables;plant matter
SEX : The female is fatter during the spawning season
B : Use soft water. At dusk, the pair spawns aggressively with a great deal of splashing. Over1000 eggs float to the surface and attach to floating plants. The fry hatch in 50 hours. The young first feed on infusoria androftiers in the water. Later they should be provided with egg yolk and Artemia nauplii. They grow quickly and are free-swimmingafter 3-5 days. The young are generally ignored by the parents, but as a precaution they should be removed.
BP : 8. This prolific species is difficult to breed.
R : The Kissing Gourami's name comes from the way that it occasionally fights with othersKissing Gouramis. The males press their mouths together when they fight over territory. Some fish keepersreport that this behavior also occurs during courtship procedure, although this is generally accepted as false. Thisfish is eaten in its native lands. For instance, one is able to find the Kissing Gourami in local marketsin Borneo. When food is scarce, these fish filter plankton through their gills for food. The Kissing Gourami is sexually matureat 3-4 years old. There are two widely available color morphs; one that is green to silver, and the otherpink in color. The pink variation was once thought to be a separate species ( H. rudolfi ).
DC : 4. The Kissing Gourami is a fine fish to be kept in a community tank with small to large companions. Although,occasionally older specimen may cause problems.

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Recent news

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(11/18/2009) Fish doesn't just feed humans. Millions of tons of fish are fed every year to chickens, pigs, and even farmed fish even in the midst of rising concerns over fish stocks collapses around the world. Finding an alternative to fish as livestock feed would go a long way toward preventing the collapse of fish populations worldwide according to a new paper in Oryx.


ICCAT fails to protect critically endangered tuna—again

(11/15/2009) The International Commissions for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) ignored the advice of its scientists to end fishing of the Atlantic bluefin tuna. Instead ICAAT set a quota of 13,500 tons of fish. This is not the first time ICCAT has flouted its own researchers' advice: it has repeatedly set quotas well-above its researchers' recommendations.


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(11/04/2009) According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) 2008 report, released yesterday, 36 percent of the total species evaluated by the organization are threatened with extinction. If one adds the species classified as Near Threatened, the percentage jumps to 44 percent—nearly half.


Atlantic bluefin tuna should be banned internationally: ICCAT scientists

(10/29/2009) Scientists with the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) have said in a new report that a global ban on Atlantic bluefin tuna fishing is justified. ICCAT meets in November to decide if they will follow their scientist's recommendations.


The Yangtze River may have lost another inhabitant: the Chinese paddlefish

(10/22/2009) In December of 2006 it was announced that the Yangtze River dolphin, commonly known as the baiji, had succumbed to extinction. The dolphin had survived on earth for 20 million years, but the species couldn't survive the combined onslaught of pollution, habitat loss, boat traffic, entanglement in fishing hooks, death from illegal electric fishing, and the construction of several massive dams. Now, another flagship species of the Yangtze River appears to have vanished.


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(10/15/2009) Scientists have announced that freshwater species are likely the most threatened on earth. Extinction rates for freshwater inhabitants are currently four to six times the rates for terrestrial and marine species. Yet, these figures have not lead to action on the ground.



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Copyright Rhett Butler 1994-2009

The copy for fish.mongabay.com was written in 1994-1995. Therefore some information such as scientific names may be out of date. For this, I apologize. Feel free to send corrections to me.