Cleaner shrimp in predator tank?

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Ben jammin

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I have a 270 gallon FOWLR in which I am keeping, or plan to keep, several carnivorous fish including a picasso trigger, harlequin tusk, red coris wrasse, dragon wrasse, longhorn cowfish, dwarf lion, etc. Is it possible to add a cleaner shrimp for parasite control? I know several of these fish eat any invert they can fit in their mouths and some they can't, but I am wondering if they would leave a cleaner shrimp alone. On the reef they generally do - they know the cleaner shrimp is there to take care of them and as a result they leave them alone. But I'm wondering if they exercise the same discretion in a FOWLR aquarium.

Any experience would be appricated...
 
No such thing as professional courtesy anymore, I guess.
I'm not sure what exactly you're referring to?


Two things to note in your question:
1) cleaner shrimp are uneffective for control of parasites in a closed system
2) a cleaner shrimp will likely be eaten by one or several of those tankmates
 
I'm sure he meant professional courtesy of the predators not eating a helpful cleaner shrimp :P
 
Yes, that is what I meant. Sorry if misunderstood and it seemed rude.

My concern was definitely that in a closed system, the shrimp could become a snack for several of those species. I was wondering if the fact that he's a cleaner would ensure his safety, but it sounds like that may not be the case.

The point of having him was for cleaning, so if they don't clean in a closed system then there's no point. But if you're just saying that they can't clear up a parasite outbreak in a confined tank, that's not what I had in mind. My system and all my fish are, thankfully, healthy (knock on wood). I was thinking of adding him as a preventative measure to help keep things that way.
 

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