In July 2020, Bangkok, Thailand is in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Unlike Japan, the Thai government has taken strict measures against the coronavirus, and perhaps because of this, the number of new infections has visibly decreased, and life has become close to normal despite mandatory body temperature checks and masks.
It had become a routine for me to go to Chatuchak and browse the betta shops.
As you know, there are many betta fish specialty stores in Chatuchak.
Among the stores that specialize in betta fish, the overwhelming majority are plastic cut specialty stores.
Unlike the Japanese market, plastic cuts are overwhelmingly popular among Thai enthusiasts.
As evidence of its popularity, there is tremendous enthusiasm for improving plastic cuts, and new types are created every year.

In Thailand, many Betta fish contests are held in various places every year, and the main contestant is the Plakat, and the number of entries is overwhelming compared to other breeds.
Thailand's plastic cut market can be described as completely monolithic, but recently we have begun to see some changes.
A change that has been visible over the past few years is that more and more enthusiasts are showing an interest in wild betta fish, including hybrids.
I don't think it's more like an interest in wild bettas as a breeding material than a pure interest in wild bettas, but the number of maniacs who are interested in wild bettas is increasing. is an undeniable fact.
This is greatly influenced by wild hybrids called aliens.
Along with this, Chatuchak's betta specialty stores are also undergoing changes.
The number of wild specialty stores that mainly handle wild bettas and their hybrids has increased.

In the past, among the many Chatuchak betta fish specialty stores, there was only one wild specialty store, but now there are several.
As a photographer who mainly shoots solid images, it is my job to check the inventory at these stores and walk around.
However, since it is a wild betta, new species are not often discovered, and there are not many opportunities to obtain new information.
Even so, it has become a daily routine for me to pop into familiar shops and see for myself if they have any new fish in stock, and also ask the shop owner about it.
One day, when I asked the owner about the same thing, he was breathing heavily, and as if to see what was going on, he removed the partition from the breeding bin and shined a small light on the fish.
The fish are large for a wild fish, and the sight of them flaring next to each other is quite impressive.

When I asked the shop owner, he said it was Mahachai Giant.
The Giant strain is already common among improved Betta varieties, but this was the first time I had seen it in the wild variety.
I thought it was created by introducing Plakat's giant blood, so when I asked the shop owner, he answered that this was not the case.
It is said to be a pure Mahachai that has not been bred with giants.
Apparently, during breeding of ordinary Mahachai, a strain was created in which about half of the strains grew large.
He showed me a fish in a separate tank, saying that this was a normal-sized Mahachai from the same litter, and it was indeed a normal-sized Mahachai.
Well, whether or not you believe the story behind its creation is up to your own judgment, but I'm just telling you what I heard here.
This is just my personal opinion, but I think the Giant bloodline got mixed in somewhere, whether it was intentional or not.

It is written in a paper describing a new species of Mahachai (correctly Mahachaiensis), but in addition to pure Mahachaiensis fish sold in Chatuchak, hybrids that are thought to have crossed with Plakat have also been confirmed. It has been reported.
In the first place, when Mahachai was introduced to the betta market, the fish called Mahachai Blue and Mahachai Green were not pure Mahachaiensis, but were hybrids with Plakat.
Judging from such circumstances, it wouldn't be surprising if somewhere somewhere they were bred with Plakat, which has Giant bloodline.
It makes sense if you consider that the Giant's hidden factor has now emerged.
Imagining how it was created in this way can be said to be one of the fun parts of being a hobbyist.
It doesn't mean that it's worthless unless it's a pure wild, so there's no problem even if it's a hybrid.
I find it attractive as a new wild variety.

In this Mahachai Giant, not only the male but also the female are equally large.
I have not yet confirmed the appearance rate of giants when breeding in pairs, but if you are lucky enough to obtain a pair, please report the results.
The breeding of Mahachai Giants is the same as that of normal Mahachai.
However, the breeding container needs to be at least twice the size.
Also, since they eat a lot of food, you need to be careful about deteriorating water quality.