• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Bettas 101
    • Acclimation
    • All About Water
      • Nitrogen Cycle
      • Ph & Ammonia
      • Water Changes
    • Betta Fish Anatomy
    • Betta Vases
    • Choosing a Tank
    • Feeding Bettas
      • Food Myths
      • Frozen & Live Betta Food
    • Tankmates for Bettas
      • African Dwarf Frogs & Bettas
      • Apple Snails & Bettas
      • Neon Tetras & Bettas
      • Otocinclus Catfish & Bettas
      • Quarantine New Fish
    • Plakat Betta
    • Rosetail Betta
    • Veil-tail Betta
  • Sick Betta
    • Diseases and Treatment
    • Aging Bettas
    • Bloating and Constipation
    • Cotton Wool Disease
    • Dropsy
    • Fin Rot and Fin Loss
    • First Steps
    • Gill Hyperplasia
    • Ich
    • Popeye
    • Septicemia (Infection)
    • Swim Bladder Disorder
    • Sick Betta Symptom Checker
    • Velvet Disease
    • Wounded Betta
    • Fish Tank Granuloma
  • Behavior
    • Bubble Nests
    • Skittish Bettas
    • Tail Biting
  • Breeding Bettas
  • Equipment
  • Q & A
  • Other fish
  • Contact

Fish Care

Everything You Need to Know About Betta Fish

You are here: Home / Betta splendens / Glossary: Labyrinth Fish

Glossary: Labyrinth Fish


Me and Dad
Originally uploaded by Mean and Pinchy.

Paradisefish, like Bettas, have a labyrinth organ used to breathe from the atmosphere.

As I mentioned in a previous post I am going to integrate glossary terms with book, web forum and equipment reviews to supplement the usual Q&A on the Blog. Since this is primarily a Betta splendens Blog, I thought our first glossary term should directly relate to them. One of the major factors that make Bettas so desirable is their ability to be housed in smaller bowls without a filtration or aeration system. This is possible because they don’t require oxygen rich water to survive. They have the remarkable ability to surface for air. Of course this doesn’t mean we don’t have to take care of their water. Monitoring water quality becomes even more important because of their simple bowl set-ups. With that said, let’s discuss today’s term, labyrinth fish.

Labyrinth Fish: (LAB–uh-rinth fish)

Labyrinth fish are fish that have a special lung-like breathing organ called a labyrinth organ, which allows them to take air right out of the atmosphere when they surface. This organ is located just above the gills and is made up of tiny folded bones that somewhat resemble a maze or labyrinth. These tiny bony plates contain blood vessels where the exchange of gasses occur when the fish takes a breath. This ability to pull oxygen right from the atmosphere is especially useful in slow moving or stagnant water where dissolved oxygen levels are very low such as ponds and rice paddies. It even means that some species of fish can actually exit the water, cross land and enter a new body of water without running out of oxygen. Fish who have this organ use it as a supplemental breathing apparatus and still have gills but will continue to surface for air regardless of oxygen levels in the water. There are many species of labyrinth fish that have been discovered but the most common include species of bettas, gouramis and paradise fish.

Have more questions about Labyrinth fish? Post them below in the comments section.


Filed Under: Betta splendens

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search


Recent Posts

  • Cool Betta Fish Tank Ideas
  • How Long Do Betta Fish Live For? – 5 Helpful Tips For a Long and Happy Life
  • 3 Gallon Fish Tank for Betta
  • 10 Gallon Aquarium Stands and Cabinets
  • How Much Do Betta Fish Cost to Buy and Care For?

NippyFish Facebook Page

Visit the NippyFish Facebook Page

Featured Posts

Complete Guide to Betta Fish Diseases and Treatment

This complete guide on Betta fish illnesses and diseases from A-Z will help you pinpoint what is wrong with your Betta and how to treat it.

The 4 Most Common Signs of Illness in Betta Fish

This article focuses on the 4 most common signs of illness in Betta fish.

Betta Fish Tank Setup – A Detailed Guide For Beginners

This article will be providing a detailed beginners guide on how to setup a tank for your Betta fish.

Top 12 Betta Fish Toys

This article has a list of some of our favorite Betta fish toys. Don’t have a bored Betta.

Setup an Aquatic Plant Environment For Your Betta

Having a healthy plant in your tank will help to improve the water quality by filtering out waste and removing some of the CO2 that’s produced by your fish.

Copyright © 2025 All Rights Reserved | NippyFish | Privacy Policy

Nippyfish.net is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.