RookieOfTheYear;2209290; said:
hey dude for a community cichlid tank like that you didnt need any hiding places for them? did they all grow up together or what?
They all have their own "houses" or "holes", but no hiding spots. In other words, they each (or each pair) have a place to claim as their "house". There aren't really any places for them to be totally out of reach of another fish trying to get them (except for the Convicts, there are places they can hide where a predator couldn't reach them). Some of the stock was raised from fry size, some were added as juveniles/young adults, and some were added as full grown adults.
With that said, there hasn't been a need for hiding places. They all get along pretty well. It's a delicate balance that has been achieved and maintained by carefully controlling all the variables. I have to make them work for me rather than against me in regards to my wants and needs with an aggressive predatory community. This includes, but is not limited to, water quality, temperature, frequency of feeding, variety of foods including live, territory, and on and on.