Moonlight gourami in the floodplain of the lower Mekong. The moonlight gourami eats insects, crustaceans, and zooplankton. Like all labyrinth fish, the moonlight gourami has a special lung-like organ that allows it to breathe air directly. Because of this labyrinth organ, it is not unusual to see it go to the surface and gulp air. The ability to breathe air allows the moonlight gourami to survive in very low oxygen situations. In fact, if it remains moist it can actually survive out of water for up to several hours. As with other labyrinth fish, these species are oviparous and employ bubble nests
Kissing gourami muscles. However, it is not completely confirmed that it is an aggressive behavior and is rather understood as a ritualized form of aggression. "Helostoma temminkii" can become the host tosome parasitic algal species. These algae are able to survive under kissing gourami skin and look like color spots. Some hypothesis affirm that these algae communities receive some nutrients required for photosynthesis from the "H. temminkii." The individuals which have these parasites in their bodies are commonly less healthy than those which have not any algae parasites. "H. temminkii" are able to communicate between each other due to their complex inner