The Giant Gourami is the largest of all labyrinth fishes! This is a stunning fish when it gets large! In their natural environment, local people have reported lengths of 60 cm (24 inches) and it has even been suggested that the Giant Gourami can get as large as 70 cm (28 inches)! Wow! One big gourami! The labyrinth organ in these fish allows them to breath air and they go to the water surface to gulp air deliberately, especially when oxygen levels in the water become depleted. This gives this fish a better chance of survival under such conditions compared to fish that do not possess a labyrinth organ.

The Giant Gourami are usually sold in sizes of 4 - 8 cm (1 1/2 - 2 1/2 inches) in pet stores, and are scarce in captivity over 40 cm (16 inches). When they are small, they have an attractive banded coloration of black and gold. As they get older they turn the color of the fish in the photo or sometimes completely black.

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