In October 2018, as usual, I was wandering around Thailand's Sunday market looking for betta fish.
First of all, I attacked from the corner commonly known as Betta Street, where the Betta shops were lined up, but this time I couldn't find any particularly new Betta.
In Thailand, betta fish called Nemo and Candy were still at their peak, and only a few of their advanced species, such as Half Moon, were seen here and there.
Well, I haven't seen it in three months, so the lineup at the store hasn't changed much.
There are many betta specialty shops in the Sunday market other than this betta street. Some of them are located in places that are probably impossible for tourists to find. However, the reason why the business is still going strong is probably because the local enthusiasts have a good grasp of the location.
This time, I took a look at one of those betta shops that is very difficult to find.

You can sometimes find wild bettas and hybrids here, so regular patrols are essential.
This store has no lighting, so it's very difficult to see the fish in the brown water in the dark interior.
I suddenly looked up and found a fish that caught my eye in a corner of the shelf.

Remove the partition between the glass containers and check the flaring fish. Removing this partition and watching the fighting bettas is probably the most fun part of finding bettas.
When I removed the partition, it started flaring violently with the fish next to it, and it was the first time I had ever seen it.
There is no doubt that this is a Smaragdina guitar because of the lattice pattern on the tail fin. However, their body colors are completely different.
It has a brownish color, like water colored by Magic Leaf.
If you look closely, you will see that it has a coppery red body color, which is called copper in betta fish. This is the first time I've seen this type of fish on a guitar.
The greatness of Thai Betaya is that these new faces are casually lined up.

When I checked the name with the shop owner, he told me that it was a copper from Smaragdina Guitar. It is not a hybrid, but rather a fixed color variation that emerged from breeding guitars with normal body colors. When I heard this, I remembered the guitar that I had collected and photographed at Bung Kong Long Lake.
The fish was collected in an area called SEKA, but its body color was strangely reddish-brown.

I thought the body color was unusual for a guitar, so I took a photo of it because I thought it was interesting.
The copper guitar like this was probably created by selectively breeding these reddish-brown individuals.
When you find a new face like this, as a betta photographer you have to take a picture and record it. However, as expected, it is quite expensive as it is a first product.

I always try to buy two males of the same type because I like to take pictures of the fight when I take pictures. Because of this commitment, the model costs double.
I couldn't find any females, so I asked if they sell females, and received a shocking answer. She also has females, but she says they cost several times more than the males. It's certainly a new face, but it's not very affordable.

This is the best price of all the Thai wild bettas I have ever purchased.
If you are a breeder looking to make a business out of the fish you have bred, you would probably buy one, but it is too expensive for just photography purposes. As photographers ourselves are in the business, we know how much money we can spend on expenses when shooting. Purchasing two males is no problem in terms of cost, but purchasing this expensive female will cost you money.
So, I'm sorry, but this column will only introduce males.
If I could just introduce the male, it would be enough to explain the charm of this fish. In the article, females are treated as little more than accessories to males, so you can't put a lot of money into them.
This price clearly shows that the breeder does not want the price to go down due to breeding.
However, once it is sold, it is no longer possible to control it. Someone will probably buy this expensive female, breed it, and sell it again.
Although it is an attractive fish, it is definitely impossible to sell it in the Japanese market at the current price. In half a year, these fish will be available in pairs at reasonable prices. I hope that the price will be reasonable soon so that it can be enjoyed in Japan as well.