KANGAR: A welder who started off with collecting four wild fighting fish (Betta Imbellis) as a hobby has turned the passion into a source of additional income for the past six years.

       Azhar Basri was among the 105 small and medium enterprise (SME) entrepreneurs who sold their products at the SME tent in conjunction with the Perlis ‘Jelajah Aspirasi Keluarga Malaysia’ or the Malaysian Family Aspirations (AKM) Tour programme at Tuanku Syed Putra Sports Complex.

       Speaking to Bernama, Azhar said he turned the ground floor of his house in Seriab into a breeding space and registered his business under the name of ‘Betta Bawah Rumah’.

       “Alhamdulillah, the sales at the AKM have been very encouraging as I managed to sell 30 to 40 fighting fish in a day since the stall was opened on Friday,” he said.

       The father of one said he only sells medium-grade fighting fish at the SME tent because most of the visitors are not betta fish enthusiasts.

       “At the AKM, I sell fighting fish for only RM5 each, while those interested in buying high-quality fish will usually come to my house to choose,” he said.

       According to Azhar, 32, each fish is unique and the price depends on the combination of colour, gender, body shape and fins.

       He said among the fish he sold were Betta Galaxy Multicolor, Betta Halfmoon Plakat, Betta Smaragdina Cooper and Betta Super Red.

       He added that two years ago, he managed to sell Betta Alien fish at RM700 each.