Introduction
The dwarf gourami – Trichogaster lalius (formerly known as Colisa lalia) is a popular and beautiful little fish. It belongs to the sub-order Anabantoidei. Anabantoids are known as labyrinth fishes because they possess a special breathing organ called a labyrinth. This allows them to breathe air directly and means they can survive out of the water for short periods. Other well-known anabantoids are the pearl gourami – Trichopodus leerii and Siamese fighting fish – Betta splendens.
Deciding what fish to get for your new tank can be difficult. There are more species of fish than there are mammals, reptiles and amphibians put together – around 25,000 in fact. A typical shop might have several hundred different species and large shops can have many more. Fish suitable for a beginner should be affordable, hardy, easy to keep with other fish and available in most shops. So here are my top ten.
White Cloud Mountain minnow (Tanichthys albonubes)
These little minnows are ideal as a first fish. Pretty and active – keep them in a small shoal. They don’t get too big and will thrive on flake food. They live in Chinese mountain streams and so can live happily in a tank without a heater.
It’s not strictly necessary for fish-keepers to learn the scientific names of their fish but if a deeper understanding of the hobby is desired than some degree of knowledge is important, if only to better appreciate the relationships between different species. In addition the generic and specific names often contain information that is useful to know. When communicating with fellow fish-keepers on the internet knowing the correct name of the fish is even more important given the differing common names applied to aquarium fish throughout the globe.
UK Aquarist 