You may be familiar with a labyrinth–it’s another word for a maze. But what if I told you there’s another kind of labyrinth that enables certain species of fish to breathe out of water?
It’s true; the Siamese Fighting Fish (or Betta Fish), along with some Gouramis, have a special organ that allows them to gulp oxygen out of the air, rather than using their gills as other fish do.
If that sounds intriguing, then let’s dive into the amazing world of the labyrinth fish!
The Labyrinth Organ
When a labyrinth fish gulps air from the surface of an aquarium (or in a natural body of water), that air enters into a special organ: the labyrinth organ. Inside this organ, there are many small, maze-like compartments of thin bony plates. These are called lamellae. The lamellae are covered with extremely thin membranes. In fact, they’re so thin that oxygen can pass right through them. The blood inside these membranes then absorbs the oxygen, which is carried throughout the fish’s body.
Baby labyrinth fish need time to develop their labyrinth organ. But once they do, they rely on the organ to help them breathe, because their gills are not as strong as the gills of other fish species.
Fun Fact: As long as a Labyrinth fish stays moist, it can survive outside of water using the labyrinth organ.
Even though labyrinth fish can live outside of water for a while, it is not optimal.
Betta fish live in Southeast Asia, in muddy rice paddies. If the water in this environment gets too bad, the Betta will fling itself to a neighbouring body of water. It will continue to thrust itself from water to water until it finds one it feels comfortable in.
The Climbing Perch fish can live outside of water for several days, too. It uses its pectoral fins to crawl across land, up onto logs, and even into small trees!
The Siamese Fighting Fish (a.k.a. Betta Fish)
Have you ever seen those brightly colored fish with long fins at the pet store? Those are Siamese Fighting Fish! They are one of the most common labyrinth fish. In fact, most pet stores keep these fish in small cups because they can breathe air from the surface using their labyrinth organ.
Why not put them all into an aquarium? Because male Betta fish are not only air-gulpers, but they can also be very aggressive toward one another, and they need to be kept in separate tanks.
However, even though they can’t be kept together, these fish do make great pets because they can live in smaller tanks. Experts recommend housing a Betta fish in at least a 5-gallon tank, with plenty of live plants, a heater to warm the water, and a small filter to help keep the water clean.
Fun Fact: Betta fish come in many colors (like red, blue, orange, and green). They even have different fin lengths!
Bubble Nest Builders
We know that birds make nests, but did you know that many labyrinth fish also make nests?
They make theirs out of bubbles!
But these bubbles aren’t the kind you’d normally think of, like those from soap. These bubbles are made by the fish itself, and they’re made of the fish’s own spit and oxygen.
Male Bettas are well-known for building bubble nests at the surface of their aquariums or in their natural environments. They carefully blow each bubble and place it beside the next until the nest is completed. The bubble nest’s size and depth will vary from fish to fish.
Once the bubble nest is complete, the female Betta will lay her eggs. When she releases her eggs, the male fish quickly gets to work picking up each egg and placing it in the bubble nest. There, the eggs are safe and secure until they hatch.
Fun Fact: Male Betta fish are good dads! They are responsible for guarding the nest and caring for the young.
Even after the eggs hatch, the male Betta will make sure the young (also known as the fry) stay in the bubble nest. He does this by putting the wee fish in his mouth and spitting it back amongst the bubbles if it strays. Baby Bettas stay in and around the bubble nest until they grow enough to be safe on their own.
Labyrinth fish can be very picky about where they build a bubble nest. Slow-moving or still water makes the best places for bubble nests. Why? Turbulence will break or scatter the bubbles!
The Amazing Labyrinth Fish!
The labryinth fish is an amazing creature. From their ability to gulp air from the surface, to blowing sticky bubbles to keep their eggs and fry in, these fish are super cool. They can even stay alive outside of water and, some know how to crawl on land and climb trees!
If you want to know more about the labyrinth fish, read more on Google, check out some library books on the topic, or ask a person that has one of these amazing fish!
