The Australian lungfish has unlike other lungfish only one lung. The lung allows them to breathe air if water quality and oxygen levels are poor. This allows them to survive in small water bodies. In better conditions they breathe through their gills. Australian lungfish should when kept in aquarium be kept alone in a large aquarium with a neutral to slightly acidic water.

They will eat anything meaty and their natural diet consists of frogs, tadpoles, small fishes, snails, shrimp and also vegetable parts. The food is found by the use of smell since they have poor vision. They also have the ability to detect electrical impulses from other living beings and can find their pray using this ability.

Australian lungfishes are breed in ponds in Australian however there are no reports of successful breedings in aquariums. They spawn during the night and it takes the fry 3 weeks to hatch. The fry grows slowly.

There also exist a few albino specimens of this fish. Those are however very rare and extremely expensive.