Worth the risk? Adding cleaner shrimp with hawkfish & dottyback

[ACBlinky]

One of my angels recently broke out with ich, likely due to bullying. The bully has been returned to the LFS (with a warning that there may be ich in my tank) and the Potter's seems much more relaxed now but still isn't eating. The spots have all disappeared, but his breathing is slightly laboured and he's been hanging around in a cave, looking around a lot - I suspect he's looking for a good cleaning.

I want to purchase a skunk cleaner shrimp, but the only ones I can find are ~1" long and I've got a 2" pixy hawkfish and a 2" neon dottyback in the tank. I'm worried that a shrimp would become lunch! I've found some blood shrimp that are larger, around 1.5", not sure if they're as effective when it comes to cleaning or if a half inch in size would make a difference when it comes to predation.

Removing the Potter's isn't really an option, first because the last thing he needs is more stress (I'd have to rip the tank apart to catch him) and secondly because if the ich is there, they all need treatment and I have nothing large enough for all the fish to go into. We live in an apartment so space is limited, my only option if needed would be to move the inverts and some LR to a Rubbermaid tub and hypo the display.

So what I'm asking is whether or not it's worth the risk of dropping $30 or so to get a shrimp, what do you think?

 

[Aquabucket]

The shrimp will be an expensive meal no doubt. Sorry.

 

[jamal-188]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6847019#post6847019 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Aquabucket
The shrimp will be an expensive meal no doubt. Sorry.

Agreed

 

[ACBlinky]

Thanks, you guys have confirmed what I feared, but I had to ask. I guess I'll keep the water as perfect as possible, continue offering him foods soaked in garlic and cross my fingers and toes. I'll hypo the tank (minus inverts & 1/2 the LR) if I have to, but I'm hoping he fights it off.