The blue gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus) belong to the Anabantidae family, which are ray-finned fish in the order Anabantiformes; they are commonly called labyrinth fish. The 16 known genera contain about 80 species, distributed throughout most of southern Asia, India, and central Africa.

Every aspect of this growing field is covered from descriptions of aquatic plants and animals to in-depth coverage of the economics and management of the aquaculture industry. Extensive coverage of water requirement, nutritional fundamentals and diseases common to aquaculture are included.

This book explains that sensible use of today's aquarium equipment provides a very satisfactory artificial substitute for "balance" in the home aquarium and includes information on choosing plants, fishes and invertebrates with an eye toward compatibility.