Angel fish injury from fight

Question
Chris,

2 follow-up ?,s.

1. Does using 'Fungus Cure' to help heal the wound require quarrantining the injured fish in a separate tank.

2. In answer to your question it is a 60 gallon tank.

Also you mentioned that they sometimes 'squabble' as part of the mating ritual. The attacks over 2 days seemed more brutal then a squabble. Your comments.


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Followup To
Question -
Chris,

I have had 2 Angelfish for about a year and a half. About 2 weeks ago the one aggressively attacked the other over a period of a few days. The attacked fish had fins mangled and got a severe bite in the back by the caudal fin area. I quarrantined the aggressive fish a few times and he/she settled down and they seem to be getting along fine now. The attacks have left the Angelfish with open wounds by his caudal fin area and a cotton like growth. Is there anything I can do to help heal him/her? Also do you have any idea what could've provoked the attack? Also how do I tell the sex of the Angelfish?

Answer -
Hi Walter;

You can't tell the sex of angels by looking until they are ready to actually spawn. The breeding tube from the vent of the male is thinner and slanted. The female's is thicker and points down.

The cottony growth is fungus that has infected the wounds. It needs to be treated with "Fungus Cure" or another similar product. It can spread and kill the fish if not treated. Keep the water very clean to avoid re-infection and promote healing. Change 25% of the water every week to two weeks while vacuumimg the gravel. This is normal maintenance, so if you have't been doing them that often already, this is a good time to start. You will notice a big difference in both fish's health, vitality, and color if you keep up these water changes.

Angels often squabble as part of their mating ritual, but more so if they are opposite sex. What size tank are they in?

Followups welcome

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins  

Answer
Hi Walter;

It is best to use a hospital tank for treatment. Especially considering the amounts of medication you would need to treat this 60 gallon tank. Yikes!

Either the aggressor is just simply over zealous to breed, the victim is not aggressive, healthy enough, ready enough or strong enough to breed, or they are the same sex. Probably both males if that's the case. Once the sick fish is well again, feed them both healthy foods and do plenty of water changes for a few weeks to get them in condition. If one is a female, you will see the belly protrude slightly on either side (with eggs). Try to introduce them to each other again, but remove the weaker fish again if the other seems overly aggressive. Try with another pair or a proven female, after fully conditioning them.

Followups welcome

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins