By Redhillbetta :
 

 

Penang, Malaysia Dec 2013

 

Som fighters are hybrid fighters from crossing of wild bettas with domesticated fighting strain bettas. They are raised in natural condition like wild bettas, having to fend for itself and to look for it's own food. As such they have natural colouration on their scales which is green and a brown body so as to blend into it's natural surroundings. They are bred in breeding centres and the frys are released into the wild when they are about one month old and are ready for harvest in 5 months time. Survival rates will depend on their adaptablity to the environment, but one thing is for sure, if they survives to adulthood, they can be dependable fighters. They are more then a match for any wild bettas, as part of their fighting strain blood will make them fight harder and longer.

Som fights are short and unpredictable and those with a higher percentages of pure fighting strain blood are usually stronger and better fighters. Fights can last from a few minutes to about an hour or two, unlike fighting strain bettas that can last for several hours more, whose injuries could kill the fish too. The draw back of too much fighting strain blood in Som is they look darker and more robust physically. In fights they lasts longer and suffered more injuries. In the Som fighting rings, the fish should be thin and small and also lightly coloured so as to mask the amount of fighting strain blood in them. To much physical resemblance to pure fighting strain bettas will not qualify them as Soms, not a wise option.

To Som players in Penang, it is the look that matters. A good Som to these players, is a fish that resembles a wild bettas, small and thin, light coloured in green with a brown body, but fight hard and long and could sustain serious injuries yet can keep on fighting like a fighting strain bettas!

In my opinion the ideal Som may be just a fish with a outer shell like a wild bettas but the interior of a pure fighting strain.

In the Penang Betta fighting rings, there are unofficial classification of the fighters, generally there are 4 accepted categories of fighting bettas, and top of the line are the fighting strain bettas( of Plakat Lukmorh origin), followed by the Berliao, then the Soms and then the Cheng Kias and finally the weakest, the true wild bettas(Imbellis).

Soms are generally wild bettas crossed with Fighting Strain Bettas( of Plakat LukMorh origin). Soms crossed with wild bettas are called Cheng Kias. Soms crossed with fighting strain bettas are called Berliaos. Fighting Strain Bettas are usually from Ipoh and Kedah areas and some could find their way to Penang from the Southern Thai provinces and they are the best fighters and they look different from the rest mentioned!


I brought home a total of 6 Som Fighters from Penang, all donated to me by a Penang friend. The video shows the Soms at my home and part of the video also shows the Soms with my fighting strain bettas. The Soms are visibly smaller, with a elongated body and have green scales scattered on a light brown body and the tail end is red, forming a red crescent shape. The Soms are never a match against the fighting strain bettas, be it in physical attributes or in mental strength, but it does not matter as Soms are only matched with Soms. 2 Soms are from Southern Thailand, while 2 were caught in Balik Pulau and one each from Taiping(Perak) and Permateang Tinggi respectively

Penang is located near to Southern Thailand, with the state of Kedah sandwiched in between. With the Kedah players being very active in Penang and vice versa, it is common for Thai fighters to trickle into Penang through Kedah. The Thai Soms are bred in cement tanks and are heavily infused with pure fighters blood and could fight hard and take heavier punishments. To a novice all the 6 Soms are similar in look because they are all green with a red crescent tail, but those with more pure fighters blood will be darker especially when they start flaring. Can the Soms ever reach the final stage like the pure fighters? Never I think. The Soms may evolve to have strong mental strength but the Soms will still have to look like a wild bettas, in the exterior at least and the resulting physical resemblance to a wild betta will limit their ability to surpass the pure fighting strains.


email: redhillbetta@yahoo.com.sg