I’d be shocked if they bothered your Rafael, I have a 3” BN pleco and a 3” Petricola in here, both aren’t nearly as armored as a Rafael. It’s all in what you choose. I’d stay away from assorted mbuna unless you know exactly what they are. If you were able to find lethrinops, that would be ideal since they’re so peaceful, but realistically, you could do all Aulonacara and I’m sure everything would be good including the RafaelOne small problem with Africans...I have a striped Raph...and I don't want Africans to hurt my precious raph. I've kept peacocks and haps before; I was literally chewing my nails off, worried that they would kill my other fish. I would rather not deal with that again. I love African cichlids and would do a tank of them, but I would rather they have their own tank rather than shared with my raph.
I know, I know, my raph is a total tank, but still, it's better to be safe than sorry.