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 smooth, and buoyant. Initial development is rapid: the eggs hatch after one day, and the fry are free-swimming two days thereafter. The kissing gourami does not care for its young. Adults migrate through the rivers to shallow lagoons or into flooded forests to spawn. A female starts mating and the male simultaneously shed the eggs and sperm to the outside. Females release an average of 1000 eggs. The eggs are spherical and small compared to other freshwater species and have a drop of oil to increase buoyancy. Fertilized eggs float to the surface and usually bind to floating vegetation, becoming