Numbering approximately seventy species, gouramis and their relatives are found throughout Africa and South Asia. Most members of the family are adapted for survival in oxygen-depleted waters. They are assisted in this by the presence of a “labyrinth organ” — an accessory breathing apparatus above the gill chamber that stores and utilizes oxygen from bubbles that are gulped at the surface. This adaptation allows anabantids to live in environments that are lethal to fish that must breathe oxygen dissolved in water. This ability is carried to the extreme in the Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) a beautiful species (although aggressive to its own kind) that is commonly raised in small glass jars without any aeration whatsoever.

Anabantids build floating bubble nests created by the male. The male does this by gulping bubbles from the surface and coating them with saliva. During spawning, the male envelops the female in a circular embrace with his body and pushes the eggs into the nest with his mouth. Once egg laying is completed, he drives off the female. In a small aquarium, he might kill her, so it is important to remove her to a separate tank to be on the safe side. The male makes an attendant father, replacing burst air bubbles with fresh ones (a glass cover over the aquarium will reduce the amount of bubbles that burst, thereby lessening his workload).

The dwarf gourami is an ideal choice for nearly any aquarium, combining the interesting characteristics of his larger relatives with a peaceful disposition and small size (2 inches). Native to India and other parts of south Asia, this fish's silvery gray body is brilliantly marked with red and blue stripes. This color deepens in breeding males, which are spectacular to behold.

Like most of its relatives, the dwarf gourami possesses long, threadlike fins equipped with taste cells. Located at the front of the body, below the pectoral fins, they assist the fish in locating food. Breeding is as described for the family in general, and the bubble nest is sometimes reinforced with bits of plant material. This species is quite undemanding in it's dietary requirements, taking nearly all aquarium foods and relishing, as do many fish, the occasional meal of live invertebrates.