By Suhainie Mohd Khalid
KLUANG (Bernama) – Mohd Faizal Khamis may be wheelchair-bound but he has never allowed his physical disability to stand in the way of attaining success as an entrepreneur.
He breeds betta fish, more commonly known as fighting fish, for sale and runs his thriving business from his home at Kampung Batu 7 in Simpang Renggam, Johor, here.
According to Mohd Faizal, 38, who became paralysed waist downwards after he was struck by a nerve disorder at the age of 11, the demand for fighting fish surged during the Movement Control Order (MCO) period to the extent that he fell short of supplies.
“As far as I can remember, rearing fighting fish as a hobby peaked in 2016. During the MCO, there was an overwhelming demand for the ornamental fish probably because people had more time to tend to the fish,” he said, adding that since then he has been busy serving hordes of customers, some of whom are willing to spend up to 10 hours at his farm to ensure they choose the best ones.
Fighting fish are small-sized freshwater fish that are native to Southeast Asia and known for their dramatic and vibrantly colourful flowing fins, as well as their combatant nature.
FROM HOBBY TO BUSINESS
Pointing out that fighting fish rearing can be turned into a lucrative enterprise, Mohd Faizal said he took it up as a hobby in 2007 and decided to commercialise it in 2013 after he learned how to breed the fish from online resources.
“In 2013 when I was looking for something to do to generate an income, I thought of rearing guppy fish at first. But I decided to try my hand at breeding fighting fish after I read an article about it and found out more about it on blogs. That was how my company Steady Betta was established,” he said.
Mohd Faizal, who is the youngest among 12 siblings and studied only up to Standard Six, said he has never regarded his disability as an impediment to his personal development.
Armed with a capital of just RM200, he bought a pair of fighting fish of a local species and has never looked back since then. Two years ago, the Department of Fisheries Malaysia assisted him to purchase RM20,000 worth of equipment for his business.
Today, he breeds about 1,000 mature fighting fish and fish fry belonging to the Crown Tail, Half Moon, Giant and Dumbo species in his mini-farm, located in the garden of his house. Here, he also breeds water fleas in tanks laced with green algae. Known as moina, the fleas serve as food for the fighting fish.
Mohd Faizal places his mature fighting fish in suitable containers such as glass jars or plastic bottles that are arranged on racks. The fish fry is left to grow in basins and pails.
Stressing that it is important for fish breeders like him to update their knowledge constantly in order to enhance their output, he said he uses ketapang (also known as Indian almond) leaves to lower the acidic level of the water in the jars housing the betta fish.
“The leaves also make the fish feel less stressed,” he said, adding that he usually collects the leaves with the help of some of his friends at Pantai Punggur in Rengit near Batu Pahat.
Recently, he also started to feed his fish wolffia, an aquatic plant that is high in protein.
Mohd Faizal, whose mini-farm is monitored by the Department of Fisheries’ Kluang district office, has many acquaintances in Malaysia as well as in Thailand, Brunei and Vietnam who share information pertaining to the breeding of fighting fish.
CROWN TAIL
Mohd Faizal’s fighting fish can fetch a price of as low as RM10 each to up to RM2,000 for a pair, with the prices varying in accordance with their special features.
The Crown Tail species is a firm favourite, particularly among his customers who wish to enter fighting fish competitions.
Mohd Faizal, who shares tips on caring for the ornamental fish in his Facebook account ‘Atok Steady’, has customers who come from as far as Selangor and Kelantan.
He said his fighting fish enterprise grew in popularity after many of his friends promoted him on Facebook. In fact, the social media sharings also garnered the attention of MP for Simpang Renggam Dr Maszlee Malik who donated cement to make the flooring for the area where Mohd Faizal keeps the racks to hold the fish jars.
CHALLENGES
Like other entrepreneurs, Mohd Faizal has his fair share of challenges to contend with. Disease outbreaks are sometimes unavoidable and there was an occasion when he had to throw away hundreds of his betta fish after they contracted velvet, an ailment caused by parasites in the water.
And, there was also an occasion when thieves broke into his house compound one night and carted away jars containing about 20 fighting fish and water fleas.
“Fortunately, the fish that were stolen were not the high-grade varieties. Ever since that incident, I have been sleeping lightly at night,” said Mohd Faizal, whose mother Mon Omar, 78, and sister Rosie, 44, assists him in running his mini-farm.
Mohd Faizal, whose fighting fish has won top prizes at various competitions at the district and state levels, urged people with disabilities to strive to be independent and to keep learning in order to be successful.
“Look at me, eight years ago, I didn’t know anything but now I’ve become a fighting fish breeder… from zero to hero,” added this hardworking entrepreneur, who also has a television and radio repair certificate from the Industrial Training and Rehabilitation Centre in Bangi, Selangor.
Translated by Rema Nambiar
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