Floating On His Side?

[Photography4Life]

My pet beta fish Nadek has been floating on his side for about a month, he is defiantly alive and when touched or moved by the filter water, will swim down a bit and then go back to floating on his side.
I purchased Nadek from Walmart (I am aware that this wasn't the brightest idea ) in August of this year, and he has been living in a 29g tank with 1 hidey, 1 and 1 fake plant, along with about 2 inches of rocks, a filter, a bubbler, and he is fed once every 2 days 2 pellets (this is because I thought that I overfed him and thats why he was experiencing his issues).

What do you think is wrong with Nadek?

thanks

[MiyuMikaelson]

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=49233

Please copy and paste that informational and fill in as much as you know.

If you could also post some pictures of him; his abdomen, fins, eyes, etc. Anywhere you think looks out of the usual that can help the Betta experts here diagnose the issue better for you.

[Photography4Life]

Housing
What size is your tank? 29 gallon
What temperature is your tank? 70-72*F
Does your tank have a filter? yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? yes
Is your tank heated? with a lamp
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? 1 apple snail

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
How often do you feed your betta fish? every 2 days either 1 pinch of BetaMin tropical fish medley or 2 pellets Tetra Beta pellets

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? every month,
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? I add aquarium salt

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? no. I do not test my water...

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? his stomach is a bit bloated and whiter in appearance
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? he is not swimming around as much and is floating on his side.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? 1 month
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? I originally believed I over fed him, so I decreased his amount of feeding.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? He was bought at walmart....
How old is your fish (approximately)? He has been in my care for approximately 7 months.

[MiyuMikaelson]

I would certainly go buy a heater for your tank; 70-72 is far too cold for a Betta-fish which might be adding to why he's so lethargic. They generally prefer 78-82 F because they are tropical fish. (Would need to be a gradual incline.)

Sounds like he could use a day or two of fasting to see if that will help his stomach. Maybe some other people could give you some more in-depth advice.

[angus]

I second the heater suggestion. Just make sure it's a gradual warm up.

I think if you could post a pic it would help the more experienced members see what's wrong.

[callistra]

Agree on the heater. Any new heater you use should be given 24 hour test run in similar size container with in tank thermometer. Once you know it's working properly, set it below where it turns on then gradually click it up. Once it turns on let it warm things up until it turns off (make sure it's not just turning off temporarily.. some will auto shut off once they've been on so much as a fail switch). Wait an hour, then click it up another degree. Aim between 78-80. I wouldn't do more than 5 degrees per day.

You're not doing anywhere near enough water changes. You need a minimum of 20% weekly, which in this size is 6 gallons. This should include a siphon. But if this tank is still cycling much more is needed.. you should have a reliable drops kit for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate and be testing daily for the first two and doing an extra 50% change any time either show up. Cycling will take up to two months. Also with the freezing temps your cycle will have a hard time. http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=47838

I hope you feed your snail too.. any chance your betta is getting his algae pellets or whatever you're feeding?

You are also giving low quality food. I suggest looking for a pellet whose first two or three ingredients are whole fish, not fish meal or wheat. He should get two small meals a day (how many ddpends on the pellets you get) with one fast day a week.

At this point I'd fast him a few days.. 3 to a week until you see a lot of poop and his belly goes down. Also watch poop and make sure it's normal. Do a series of 3 50% water changes (use same temp water as the tank, matched using in tank thermometer under running tap then premix with conditioner before adding) with siphon to get your water quality under control and go ahead and get that test kit. Get him warmed up