It can be eaten, but it is mainly an ornamental fish.
Anabas is a small Asian freshwater fish belonging to the genus Anabas in the order Perciformes (Perciformes), suborder Anabantoidei (Anabantidae). Native to southern China, Malaysia, India and other countries. Distributed in Asia, produced in southeastern China to India, for the Asian endemic genus (endemic genus). There are only two species of Anabas in the world, and only one species of Anabas in China, Latin name: Anabas testudineus (Bloch, 1792), is distributed in Hong Kong, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Taiwan, Macao, Hainan Island, and Yunnan Province, downstream of various large and small rivers, and the neighboring wetlands and rice paddies, and is a native fish of China. Famous for its tenacity and ability to crawl on land, it was first introduced into the aquarium near London Zoo in 1870 and is a popular and famous ornamental fish overseas.