Betta Fish: is he ok??

this is Azul. I’ve had him for almost 2 years. Recently he’s been doing a lot of jumping/surfing at the top of his tank. Usually this happens when I need to top off his water, but it happens very frequently. I looked it up, and apparently it is pretty common for Alien bettas to jump a lot, but I feel like the amount is concerning. I’m also nervous about his response after the jumping- it’s almost like he pants for a minute after he does this (his regular breathing is normal). I’ve tested the water levels and everything is normal. I have a sponge filter, but no aeration setup, so I’m wondering if that could be part of it. It is a pretty densely planted tank, with some Amanos and snails also in it.

There also is a lot of hair algae growth at the top of the tank. I’ve reduced feeding and light, but it’s really stubborn and always grows back within a few days. I suspect that this could be another reason, if he’s just pissed off lol. I was considering attempting to introduce some Ottos, with my community tank as a backup if things get a little tense. He’s been okay with the shrimp, but mostly because they are too large for him to eat lol.

He also has a few black spots, and I researched those as well. They aren’t raised or anything, which I know would hint towards a parasitic infection or something else bad. They seem to be like discolored scales or holes(?) They’re very small and don’t have any texture so it’s hard to tell. He seems pretty active, maybe a little less than when I first got him, but nothing I’ve worried about.

Please let me know if his behavior is any cause for concern and what I can do!!! I recently lost my girl betta and I would hate to lose him out of ignorance.