Betta Fish: “Hi, I’m Warren and I’m a compulsive fin nipper.”

Warren “Heavyfins” Beatty has been with us for a little more than 3 months. His fins were this way when he came to us and while they haven’t gotten better, they also haven’t gotten worse. I’ve been “treating” with regular maintenance, tannins, and monitoring, but the other day I witnessed what I suspected was going on: he’s nipping his own fins. It seems to happen when he’s maneuvering around and can’t quite turn fast or sharp enough, he bends back and takes a bite.

I can tell his fins are heavy and obviously bothering him, so much so that I’m considering cancelling his upgrade to a currently cycling 10g and just keeping him in his 5g, as I don’t want to cause him more stress trying to swim around a bigger space. Is this the right move?

Is there anything else I can do to try to prevent this behavior from escalating? I’m on top of water conditions and perimeters, but I’d hate for him to FAFO and catch an infection. He’s a very sweet grump, and I just want to do the best for him.

Thanks in advance for any insight. I appreciate all the knowledge and wisdom in this sub.