BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Fish New betta owner- weird fish issue?

I just got my first betta on Saturday he has a fake plant in his tank, but i've noticed that he likes to rest on it, which i have read is normal, but what is freaking me out is that he'll rest on it and his fins will stop moving he stays still for SO long! I usually get so worried that I'll tap the tank just to make sure he's ok.
Is it normal for a Betta fish to just completely stop moving?\

HELP! <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

It's totally normal for Bettas to be completely still and not even move their pectoral (side) fins when they're resting. In fact sometimes they use their fins to brace/wedge themselves against objects using them like hands/arms. That's one of the reasons why their behavior is so unique among freshwater fish. <img src="/images/graemlins/fish.gif" alt="" />

A simple way to differentiate between normal and abnormal behavior is looking at their eyes. If their eyes don't move and just has a blank stare when you approach them then they're sick. If their eyes move around looking at their surroundings and you, they're ok. Sometimes they even stop moving their gill plates so they look like they're holding their breath. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

What's the temperature of his water? If it's too cold, you'll notice he'll sit around a lot. However, I think when they get bored they become less active too, because I notice if I haven't been walking by my betta's tank for a while he'll sit quietly at the bottom of the tank, and as soon as he sees me he starts swimming again.

They do have their times of rest/sleep too, just like us. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />