Climbing Perch

Anabas testudineus is the name that has brought fame to Climbing Perch (common name) in the sphere of science. Its labyrinth organ aids in breathing atmospheric oxygen. Climbing Perch is known by this name because it climbs out of water and walk short distances. Its way of terrestrial locomotion makes use of the gill plates as supports and the fish pushes itself using the fins and tail. This description must have fascinated you, so navigate through the following account to know more about this fish.

Diet

As far as diet of Climbing Perch is concerned, it needs a varied diet. Feed it with the good quality of flakes, pellets, worm-shaped larva of various members of the fly family found in decaying matter, peas, lettuce and spinach. This fish relishes meaty food as well, so give it chopped earthworms and blood worms.

Breeding

For the purpose of breeding Climbing Perch, use a big aquarium with ample floating plants. This fish do not build nests spawning in open water. Spawning of this fish is said to be a very energetic affair. Predominantly when in spawning condition, the female is larger in size. May be males can show up in darker colors and have more of a knife-edged anal fin than females. When the eggs are laid, they seem very clear and then rise to the surface of water. After the spawning has been completed, remove the parents from the tank. The reason is that they can eat up their eggs to which they are used to. Fry are believed to start hatching from day 3 onwards. Fry that hatch would be very delicate. You have to provide it with green water or egg yolk paste. You can also feed the fry with newly hatched brine shrimp in order to follow it subsequent to the first week or so. The tiny fry would be susceptible to velvet disease.

Physical Description

Climbing Perch looks like a torpedo. This fish possesses an elongated body. Color of the body is muddy giving an appearance of olive-grey color. The base of the dorsal fin is longer than the anal fin. Dorsal and anal fins reach backwards to the beginning of the caudal fin and the posterior edge of the gill cover has two sturdy spines. Young specimens of this fish have a dark mark on the caudal peduncle. This fish is amongst the Labyrinth fish. It reaches the size of 10 inches or 25 cms.

Tank Set Up

Tank of Climbing Perch should be well planted. A tank of 17 to 25 cms or 6.69 - 9.84 inches is sufficient for this fish. Take care of the proper water chemistry and thus, keep the pH 7 – 8, hardness of water 5 – 19 dH and temperature should be from 22 degree C to 27 degree C or 71.6 degree F to 80.6 degree F. This fish can jump excellently, thus always place a tight-fitting cover on its tank. As it produces a lot of waste matter, there must be high filteration and regular and frequent water changes.

Social Behavior

Nature of Climbing Perch is predatory. Thus, it does not make a good community fish. Sometimes, this fish can get along with large Loricarins, Doradids, Synodontis pardalis, Sajica Cichlids and a Garra species.

Climbing Perch is found in Southeast Asia, especially in India, Sri Lanka, and Southern China. This fish is expected to live as long as 5 to 8 years. Its aggressive nature has gained popularity to this fish. It has the stamina to tolerate a wide range of chemical and temperature conditions. In the tank this fish does well with only those of its own kind. So, take care of it and enjoy the company of your pet fish for long.