Can convict cichlids live with boesemani rainbowfish?

Verdict

No. Convict cichlids and boesemani rainbowfish should not share a tank. Convict cichlids are aggressive and will bully peaceful boesemani rainbowfish.

Convict cichlid74–82°F · pH 6.6–7.8

Boesemani rainbowfish75–82°F · pH 7–8

What to watch

Deal breakerConvict cichlids are aggressive and will bully peaceful boesemani rainbowfish.

What works

Both are fine at 75–82°F.
pH 7–7.8 suits both.
They use different parts of the tank: convict cichlids the bottom, boesemani rainbowfish the mid.

Water side by side

The green band is the temperature range both can live in.

The green band is the pH both tolerate.

Size to scale

Adult length in an aquarium. A fish can swallow anything that fits in its mouth, roughly a third to half its own length for predators.

Care at a glance

	Convict cichlid	Boesemani rainbowfish
Temperature	74–82 °F	75–82 °F
pH	6.6–7.8	7–8
Adult size	5.0 in	4.0 in
Minimum tank	30 gal	30 gal
Temperament	Aggressive	Peaceful
Swims at	Bottom	Middle
Group	Alone or in pairs	Groups of 6+
Diet	Omnivore	Omnivore

Better tank mates for convict cichlids

All convict cichlid tank mates

Better tank mates for boesemani rainbowfish

All boesemani rainbowfish tank mates

Questions

Can convict cichlids live with boesemani rainbowfish?

No. Convict cichlids and boesemani rainbowfish should not share a tank. Convict cichlids are aggressive and will bully peaceful boesemani rainbowfish.

What temperature suits both convict cichlids and boesemani rainbowfish?

75–82 °F. Convict cichlids need 74–82 °F, boesemani rainbowfish need 75–82 °F.

What size tank do convict cichlids and boesemani rainbowfish need together?

At least 30 gal, set by the convict cichlid. Add space for each extra fish.