Home / Fishes / Gouramis, bettas, snakeheads / Climbing perch
No federal permit to keepClimbing perch
Anabas testudineus
Fishes › Gouramis, bettas, snakeheads (Anabantiformes) › Anabantidae (Climbing perch and bush fish)
The climbing perch (Anabas testudineus) is a species of amphibious freshwater fish in the family Anabantidae (the climbing gouramis).
Care at a glance
Species-specific aquarium care
- Tank: At least 24 in long and 12 in front to back for one adult (adults commonly reach about 4.9 in / 12.5 cm; the largest recorded was 9.8 in).
- Water: Freshwater (tolerates brackish).
- Temperature: 72–86°F (range recorded for this species).
- Layout: Lives on or near the bottom: floor space and hiding places matter more than height.
- Diet: A predator: feed meaty foods sized to its mouth (frozen fish, shrimp, worms); it will eat tankmates that fit in its mouth. FishBase classes it as a omnivore.
Calculated from this species' own FishBase record: tank size from its typical adult length and swimming zone, water values from its recorded ranges. The group guide below fills in general care.
Care guide
Species care notes
- Water: a fairly wide range, from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, 59–86 °F, pH 5.5–8, 2–25 dGH.
- Behaviour: temperament predatory; kept alone; not a community fish.
- Difficulty: Moderate (Seriously Fish rating).
Short excerpts from the species profile:
- Setup: “Ideally a soft, sandy substrate should be used though it is not essential.”
- Diet: “Chiefly predatory though wild fish apparently feed on some vegetative matter including algae and rice grains as well as smaller fishes, invertebrates and molluscs.”
- Tankmates: “Unsuitable for the general community given its adult size and predatory nature.”
- Breeding: “One of the few anabantoids, alongside members of the genera Helostoma and Ctenopoma, not to exhibit parental care.”
From the Seriously Fish profile for this species, which has the full habitat, maintenance, diet, behaviour and breeding write-up 167
Gouramis and labyrinth fish
Applies to most species in this group. Habitat: Warm, still, vegetated waters. Individual species can differ, so compare with the species numbers above and the linked sources.
Housing & setup
- Planted, calm tanks with floating plants; they breathe air at the surface, so leave a gap under the lid.
Diet
- Food acceptance is species-specific. Parosphromenus deissneri needs tiny live invertebrate foods and commonly refuses dried foods; a pellet/flake staple cannot cover every labyrinth fish.
Health watch
- Males are territorial; dwarf gourami iridovirus.
Understanding the animal
About this animal
About this animal
A labyrinth fish native to Far Eastern Asia, the fish inhabits freshwater systems from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the west, to Southern China in the east, and to Southeast Asia west of the Wallace Line in the south.
Quoted from the Wikipedia article “Anabas testudineus” (CC BY-SA 4.0) 174
In the wild
In the wild
From this species’ own FishBase record (habitat, bottom type, water and breeding data), not its family. Good care copies these conditions.1
| Where it lives | Lives in freshwater and brackish water, in rivers and streams, lakes, marshes and swamps, rice paddies. Stays near the bottom. Found mostly in canals, lakes, ponds, swamps and estuaries. |
| Ground it lives on | Over mud. |
| Water it lives in | Freshwater / brackish water, 72–86 °F (22–30 °C). |
| Climate | Tropical climate. |
| Wild diet | Hunting macrofauna (predator). |
| Behavior to plan for | Breeding: clutch tenders. |
What this means for care
- Keep water within its wild range, 72–86 °F.
- Use a soft, fine bottom; it lives over fine sediment in the wild.
- It tolerates or needs brackish water; check salinity needs before setup.
Native climate (measured)
Native climate (measured)
| Warm-season highs | about 92°F (up to 97°F in the hottest sampled areas) |
| Cool-season lows | about 68°F (down to 50°F in the coldest sampled areas) |
| Average temperature | 72–83°F across sampled records |
| Relative humidity | 71–78% on average (driest month about 66%) |
| Rainfall | about 1616 mm a year, with strong wet and dry seasons |
Measured at 96 wild occurrence records sampled against WorldClim 2.1 climate data (1970–2000 averages). Air conditions in the range are ecological context, not enclosure settings: microhabitats such as burrows, leaf litter or basking rocks can be cooler, warmer or more humid.
From the sources
From the sources
Quoted from the matching sections of reputable sources for this exact species. Specialist databases are used first; Wikipedia (community-edited, CC BY-SA 4.0) only fills gaps. Other sources are short credited quotes.
| Overview | The climbing perch (Anabas testudineus) is a species of amphibious freshwater fish in the family Anabantidae (the climbing gouramis). A labyrinth fish native to Far Eastern Asia, the fish inhabits freshwater systems from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the west, to Southern China in the east, and to Southeast Asia west of the Wallace Line in the south. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Where it lives | Home ranges Population dynamics Growth parameters Max. ages / sizes Length-weight rel. Length-frequencies Mass conversion Recruitment Abundance Life cycle Reproduction Maturity Maturity/Gills rel. — FishBase |
| Reproduction | Guards eggs at the surface of hypoxic waters. — FishBase |
| Appearance and size | The climbing perch is euryhaline and can grow to 25 cm in total length. The body is generally dark to pale green in coloration, with an olive or dusky green dorsal surface and a much paler belly. The head has longitudinal stripes on the lower cheeks, while the body has a dark spot behind the gill cover. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Biology | Obligate air-breathing; Found mostly in canals, lakes, ponds, swamps and estuaries (, 57235 ). Adults occur in medium to large rivers, brooks, flooded fields and stagnant water bodies including sluggish flowing canals. Often found in areas with dense vegetation. — FishBase |
| History and naming | This species was first described by Marcus Elieser Bloch in 1792. It is likely that Anabas testudineus is a species complex, with the binomial name applied to what are actually several different species. With further study, populations of this fish may be divided up into separate species and given new names. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
Data and studies
The numbers
The numbers
Each bar is what one source reports. Where several sources weigh in, the dashed gold band marks their average.
Maximum recorded lifespan
Longest recorded lifespan reported by each database; typical lifespans are usually shorter. The AnAge record comes from an animal in human care.
Adult length
Common length to maximum recorded length. Measured as total length. Fish in home aquariums often stay smaller than wild records.
Water temperature
Range the species tolerates in nature; aim for the middle.
pH
Water hardness
Veterinary & husbandry research
Veterinary & husbandry research
- Residual antimicrobial agents in food originating from animals Hassan MM et al., Trends in food science & technology 2021
- Understanding the gastrointestinal physiology and responses to feeding in air-breathing Anabantiform fishes Goodrich HR et al., Journal of fish biology 2020
- Curcumin analogue inhibits lipid peroxidation in a freshwater teleost, Anabas testudineus (Bloch)--an in vitro and in vivo study Manju M et al., Fish physiology and biochemistry 2009
- Muscle cellularity, growth performance and growth-related gene expression of juvenile climbing perch Anabas testudineus in response to different eggs incubation temperature Ahammad AKS et al., Journal of thermal biology 2021
Peer-reviewed papers that mention this species alongside captivity, zoos, veterinary care or aquaculture. Some cover several species or mention it only in passing, so check the abstract. See all 24 on PubMed → 170
Sources for this sheet
- AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database (Human Ageing Genomic Resources) Peer-reviewed researchCurated, referenced longevity and life-history records for thousands of species; maximum lifespans are often from zoo animals.
- FishBase (Froese & Pauly, eds.), version 24.07 Peer-reviewed researchThe global scientific database on fishes, maintained by a consortium of research institutions; every value is referenced.
- Seriously Fish species profiles Experienced keeper or breederLong-running aquarium reference written and peer-checked by experienced fishkeepers and ichthyologists; each profile covers habitat, tank size, water, diet, behaviour and breeding.
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Management of aquarium fish Zoo, university or veterinaryThe Merck Veterinary Manual: a standard veterinary reference written and reviewed by veterinary specialists.
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Types and features of aquatic systems Zoo, university or veterinaryThe Merck Veterinary Manual: a standard veterinary reference written and reviewed by veterinary specialists.
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Nutritional diseases of fish Zoo, university or veterinaryThe Merck Veterinary Manual: a standard veterinary reference written and reviewed by veterinary specialists.
- Seriously Fish — Parosphromenus deissneri Zoo, university or veterinaryAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Wikipedia (species article) Community referenceFree encyclopedia; useful overviews with their own citations. Intro text is quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- PubMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine) Peer-reviewed researchIndex of peer-reviewed veterinary, zoo and husbandry research.
- iNaturalist (captive observations) Community referenceCommunity observation platform run by the California Academy of Sciences and National Geographic; observations marked captive show animals living in homes, zoos and aquariums.
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