[Peter Finke]

Lisbeth, licorice gouramis have no special relations to the water surface. In nature, they live mostly in deeper regions (around one meter). They own a perfect labyrinth but the do not use it for the most time because the live in running waters not brightly lighted (below the shading cover of tops of the rainforest’s trees). Therefore oxygen is no problem. Even in the aquarium they don’t use their labyrinth normally; Foersch precluded the surface by a cover of glass and the fish showed no sign of discomfort over weeks; they never wanted to fetch atmospheric air. This is the same what we observe. Only in stress situations they could be forced to use their labyrinth, and then they do it. But again, they withdraw from the surface very quickly. Therefore, you cannot compare them to other labyrinths that are fish bound to the water-surface. Paros are not.
An that is the reason, too, why they nearly never leap. I never lost a Paro by leaping out of the water. If the milieu is right they live near the bottom or in the middle of the water near their small caves but seldom at the surface. And remember: Most of the natural caves are old leaves on the ground or somewhere between plants in the middle of the water. They actively avoid the surface. Maybe they have an innate idea of a kingfisher or a heron. For a Paro’s male accidentally hit by a sunbeam that penetrated the foliage of the rainforest will brightly reflect it by the phosphorescence of its finnage. Good for bird, bad for fish. So the fish have accomodated to that.