Angelfish Growth and Maturity

My angel fish that I purchased a couple months ago seems to be going through some changes. Starting near it's pectoral fins it is getting 'shiny.' Shiny as in it seems to be growing scales that shimmer and shine. The rest of it's body is 'matte finish' and does not shimmer in when it catches the light. Is this new scale growth normal? Is it just healing from a previous untreated ailment? I have looked at several sights trying to diagnose this condition but have turned up nothing.

Also, where it's dorsal fin meets the upper part of the tail is reddish in color as if it is irritated or raw. This angel is the dominant fish in the tank so I doubt that it is the barbs nipping at it (I have seen them go after his 'feelers' but they have learned not to mess with the angel). One eye of the angel is also red while the other has lighter almost white pigmentation.

Will the coloration of the angel change as it ages? Will black or darker stripes develop as it matures?

Any insight direction or advice would be greatly appreciated.

-Adam

Adam wrote,

It might be old scales getting new color as the fish ages, but it is not 'new scale growth'. Scales will not grow back.

There is a viral infection called 'Lymphocytosis', white to gray in color that sometimes looks like greasy/shiny spots, but most of the time these spots start on the fins and tail - untreatable.

A disease called 'Costia' - little red hemorrhages/blood spots under the scales, starting at the base of fins and/or tail. Treated with 'QuickCure', or any other formaldehyde/melachite green medication... angelfish is 9 or 10 months old and these color changes are it's adult colors, nothing else.

White pigmentation covering the eye/s are cataracts, caused by fungus . 'Corneal Opacity' (cloudy eyes) - due to poor water quality (bacterial infection). A red eye could be physical damage if it was sudden. 'Aquatronics' makes a medication called 'Eye Fungex' for treating the

Thanks for the advice, I picked up two medications at the store that work in conjunction and should cover all your reccomendations.

The two I am using are:Maracide which contains Malachite Green and Chitosan; and Maracyn-Two which contains Minocycline activity. Both are sold under the brand name Mardell.

If these do not work, I will try the QuickCure in a week or two when it is safe to treat again.

sounds to me like it's starting to show one of it's genetic lines . One or both of it's parents might have 'pearl scale' genes. I had two Angels that started showing what you discribed at about 2-3 months of age, and are now 1 year later fullfledged pearl scale with carictoristic koi coloring on the top. they also turned out to be a very prolific pair (spawn every 2 weeks) I hope yours turn out as well as mine Bear

Before dumping in lots of meds, try to figure out what made the fish sick in the first place. Some of the usual culprits are the wrong tank mates, over crowding, incorrect maintenance, over feeding, temperature, water quality issues, etc. Water chemistry and biology are too complicated for me to understand, but one parameter can have effects on many others. An aquarium that's properly balanced will have zero ammonia and no large changes in other parameters. It will also have healthy fish and will seldom require medication.