Can convict cichlids live with flowerhorns?

Verdict

No. Convict cichlids and flowerhorns should not share a tank. An adult flowerhorn eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 5 inches convict cichlids do.

Convict cichlid74–82°F · pH 6.6–7.8

Flowerhorn80–89°F · pH 7–8

What to watch

Deal breakerAn adult flowerhorn eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 5 inches convict cichlids do.
Deal breakerBoth are aggressive, and flowerhorns are much bigger, so convict cichlids lose.

What works

Both are fine at 80–82°F.
pH 7–7.8 suits both.
They use different parts of the tank: convict cichlids the bottom, flowerhorns 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	Flowerhorn
Temperature	74–82 °F	80–89 °F
pH	6.6–7.8	7–8
Adult size	5.0 in	12.0 in
Minimum tank	30 gal	75 gal
Temperament	Aggressive	Aggressive
Swims at	Bottom	Middle
Group	Alone or in pairs	One per tank
Diet	Omnivore	Carnivore

Better tank mates for convict cichlids

All convict cichlid tank mates

Questions

Can convict cichlids live with flowerhorns?

No. Convict cichlids and flowerhorns should not share a tank. An adult flowerhorn eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 5 inches convict cichlids do.

What temperature suits both convict cichlids and flowerhorns?

80–82 °F. Convict cichlids need 74–82 °F, flowerhorns need 80–89 °F.

What size tank do convict cichlids and flowerhorns need together?

At least 75 gal, set by the flowerhorn. Add space for each extra fish.