Interest sparked during MCO period
Former chemical-tech man now heads newly-established club gathering fellow betta fish hobbyists in Miri
They are anti-social; they really hate being cramped together in a small place. However, there some species that can be ‘good tank-mates’ with betta, such as guppies, which are also known as ‘million fish’ or ‘rainbow fish’.
— Japar Amat, betta fish hobbyist
IT goes without saying that the Covid-19 pandemic has turned many lives upside down since it was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March last year.
The situation has forced people to adapt to the new norms – lifestyles and routines so vastly different from what they were before.
A betta fish hobbyist in Miri, however, regarded such a challenging situation as ‘a blessing in disguise’.
Japar Amat said the stay-athome requirement following the enforcement of the Movement Control Order (MCO) last year to flatten the curve of infection, had allowed him to further explore the world of ‘Betta splendens’ – or the Siamese fighting fish.
The former chemical technician noticed a growing interest in this tropical fish species among a number of Mirians during the MCO.
“At that time, I noticed that many people were talking about betta fish and sharing some attractive pictures on social media.
“That was when I got interested too. Before that, it never crossed my mind that I would explore this hobby,” said this 49-year-old resident of Tudan.
After two months of conducting his own research about betta fish, he decided to buy a few common types – each costing between RM50 and RM60.
“I started my collection with 10 types of betta fish and from there, the number has been slowly growing.
“I get my supply from my friends here, and also from Kuching and Sabah through social media contacts,” he told thesundaypost in Miri.
Labour of love
Japar regarded rearing betta fish as ‘not so complicated’, as long as the owner could provide good environment to the fish and maintain the water quality in the tank.
Nonetheless, he warned those not familiar with ‘these beautiful creatures’ to never keep more than one in one place.
“They are anti-social; they really hate being cramped together in a small place.
“However, there some species that can be ‘good tank-mates’ with betta, such as guppies, which are also known as ‘million fish’ or ‘rainbow fish’,” he said.
Seeing the potential of this species in the pet market, Japar took another step further – he began breeding more betta fish.
“There is an abundance of information on ways to breed this fish available on the Internet, especially on the YouTube channel.
“After having collected as much information as I could, I made some adjustments and came out with my own style of breeding this fish.”
Japar said to stimulate the growth of and create a viable environment for the fish, he would incorporate some extracts from ‘Ketapang’ (Terminalai catappa, or Indian almond tree) leaves into the tank-water.
“For food, these creatures love ‘live snacks’ such as saltwater shrimps, worms and mosquito larvae.
“However, frozen or freezedried fish food and pellets are also good, as long as they are high in protein,” he pointed out.
Know your betta fish
There are four key classifications that those wanting to rear betta fish must know.
According to Japar, there are the competition grade, the show grade, the pet grade, and the breed grade.
He said among the four, betta fish under the breed grade used to be the most expensive based on previous market value.
“However, the situation has
changed now.
“Those from the competition grade have claimed the top ranking, where the market price for this pinky-finger-sized fish can fetch between RM1,600 and RM2,800 each.”
Growing network
Japar said he was very happy that Facebook had connected him with other betta fish hobbyists representing about 40 groups in
Miri.
He said apart from making many new friends, such networking had also helped him earn some side incomes.
“As betta fish is now gaining more popularity as a home pet, we do feel that it is the right time for us to take another step further by setting up an official club for betta fish lovers in Miri.”
It was no problem for Japar to prepare the necessary documents
slated for the application of new club with the Registrar of Societies (RoS), as he capitalised on his experience being the deputy secretary of Kelab Pencinta Burung Kicau Miri (Pekicau Miri).
“To keep a bird as your home pet, especially if it’s listed as a protected species, you need to apply for a special licence.
“For rearing betta fish at home, it’s different and less complicated.
“That explains the growing interest among Mirians in keeping this tropical species as decorative fish to bring more colours to their homes,” he said.
A new club is born Approved by the RoS on Jan 13 this year, the ‘Kelab Pencinta Ikan Laga Miri’ (Miri Fighting Fish Lovers Club) is established, with Japar being entrusted to lead the committee as the chairman.
“We have 14 excos (executive committee members), according to the constitution.
“At this moment, we are still in the planning stage for member’s recruitment.” Japar admitted that the current Covid-19 situation was ‘worrisome’, and he felt very frustrated that the club was unable to carry out its first betta fish competition.
“The plan was to host our first competition in February this year.
“We actually received positive feedback from fellow hobbyists outside Miri, including those from Limbang, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu and even Peninsular Malaysia.
“Sadly, the plan had to be shelved due to the Covid-19 situation. “Hopefully, we would able to run our first competition soon,” he said.
On the bright side, the club recently conducted an online charity auction programme, which involved many betta fish hobbyists who had sponsored some of their fine-breed specimens for this cause.
He said all proceeds from the online auction had been channelled to Hamidah Orphanage Complex at Taman Desa Indah 3 and Pusat Jagaan Anak Kesayangan Kami (Childcare Centre) at Jalan Pujut 8, as well as to a number of poor families.
“Throughout this pandemic period, the livelihood of many people, especially the low-income households, has been adversely affected.
“That’s why we initiated this charity auction as our way of giving back to society.
“We bought essential food items using funds collected from the charity event, to be distributed to these lessfortunate groups.
“Hopefully, our little contribution would alleviate their burden, even if just a little bit,” said Japar, hoping that the club could continue to run more charity programmes to help more needy folk.