# Air Breathing fish



## thename123 (Dec 13, 2009)

Out of curiosity, does anyone know any aquarium fish that can breathe fresh air as well as dissolved oxygen? I have a hunch that Poecilia's have this ability...but I may be wrong.


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## Fishfinder (Feb 17, 2008)

Gourami's, killifish and paradise fish all can i believe.


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## Hitch (Apr 26, 2009)

corys also can, and some other armoured catfish to some extent. 

Lungfish also can


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

Fish in distress will gulp air while trying to breathe the surface water, which will be the most highly oxygenated. You might see this with poecilids, which have mouths designed for surface feeding -- they may inadvertently gulp air while grabbing food.

Some fish have developed the ability to use air. Anabantoids (bettas, gouramis, paradise fish, etc) use a structure called the labyrinth to use air. Corydoras catfish and some other unrelated spp can swallow air and extract oxygen from it in their intestines.

Primitive fish can often use air with their swim bladders, which are open to the pharynx. Fish developed lungs first (and there still are a few species with functional lungs), and later evolved swim bladders from the lungs.

AFAIK, no killifish have developed air breathing, although they may gulp air as in teh first paragraph.


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## AquaNeko (Jul 26, 2009)

bae said:


> Fish in distress will gulp air while trying to breathe the surface water, which will be the most highly oxygenated. You might see this with poecilids, which have mouths designed for surface feeding -- they may inadvertently gulp air while grabbing food.
> 
> Some fish have developed the ability to use air. Anabantoids (bettas, gouramis, paradise fish, etc) use a structure called the labyrinth to use air. Corydoras catfish and some other unrelated spp can swallow air and extract oxygen from it in their intestines.
> 
> ...


If that's the case then I was thinking for a second a very silent tank setup with a smaller filter and really small air pump so the air pump won't have as large a sound as a larger pump. Just run the filter normally then bleed out say 5% load very little air into an air stone that way the air pump would not be using 100% load and thus being loud.

Seeing as the fish could gulp air it would seem like a tank with lesser worry of O2 starvation if the pump died or power outage while you're away.


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## Hitch (Apr 26, 2009)

In that case, go with fish that has a labyrinth organ. Like the gouramis, bettas and paradise fish.


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## GuppiesAndBetta (Jul 27, 2009)

Gars/Lungfish/Labyrinth fish.


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## shark (Jan 28, 2009)

dont forget polypterus


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## characinfan (Dec 24, 2008)

Arapaima/pirarucu are obligate air breathers. . . not that anyone would be keeping them in a household tank.


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## bluekrissyspikes (Apr 16, 2009)

lungfish are cool but you need a really big tank. mine has a crappy diy filter made out of a sponge and a powerhead and has no issues. they don't care about amonia either so that makes things easier.


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