How can I tell if my convict cichlids are male or female?
The females have the red on the belly and the male doesn’t. However the male sometimes can have slight coloring; and this coloring can fade and reappear in both. Females may lay eggs without a male they just will not be fertilized and never hatch. It really sounds like you have a male and female considering the color comes out in the one during aggression only (male probably) while the other sounds female. Also after the eggs are laid the female tends to guard the eggs more while the male circle the perimeter. There are a lot of videos on youtube for visual comparison.
