Are my angels fighting or breeding?

Question
I was pretty sure that I had a male and female (though the female was purchased young so it's hard to tell).  Recently, they have been exhibiting what would be called mouth fighting among Ciclids...so I now question if I have two males or if this is normal pre-spawning behavior.  The are getting pretty aggressive and I am concerned about serious injury.  They are in a 100 gallon tank with a few other fish, mostly small bottom dwellers.

The fish I assume is a male has a large bump on his forehead and it angles sharply to his mouth.  The young female's forehead is sloped very slightly and is almost concave before getting to her mouth.

What I assume is the girl now has a tube that has emerged in front of the anal fin, the older male a more spiked bump like the tip of a pen.

I am reading so many conflicting articles, I am getting confused.  I was hoping given this specific information, someone more experienced in fish keeping would be able to ease my fears.  I am about ready to pull one of them out of the tank.

Thank you for your time, sorry this was lengthy.
Kim


Answer
Hi Kim,
 It certainly sounds like you have a pair of angelfish.

 In cichlids, courtship and fighting look pretty much the same. It can be pretty violent and the fish might chew up each other's lips pretty badly but this is okay. The difference is in how it ends.  If it is fighting, eventually one fish will give up and the other will chase it continuosly.  If it is courtship, they will just suddenly stop, decide that each has passed the other's "test" and then spawn.  Angelfish typically spawn on a hard surface like a vertical rock, a large plant leaf or even the side of a filter or the glass of the aquarium.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
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