The Skeptical Aquarist

The Labyrinth fishes that we were accustomed to call "Anabantids" actually fall into four family groups. It's not really that confusing. The gouramis are all in the family Belontiidae, except for their kissing cousins, the Helostomatidae (Kissing Gouramis). But the original "Goramy," the edible Giant Gourami that is sometimes mistakenly bought for aquaria, is one of the Osphronemidae, along with Spike-Tailed Paradisefish. The fourth family of Anabantoids are the Anabantidae themselves, like Anabas, the Climbing Perch, which is actually another food fish, only rarely kept in aquaria.