Reef Tank - I can't win

[craigwmiller]

Stress is stress unfortunately. happens to the best of us.

With the clam, was it very (very) carefully lifted from the substrate without any effort, or was it attached and was pulled at all with any force (even from the bag)?

Ich is something we all deal with - And the best defence once 1+ fish is showing visible white-spot symptoms in the tank is to ensure they are happy (eating well, and keep soaking their food in garlic). THEN -- don't stress them out! No more rapid changes, keep your hands out of the tank, don't spook them, no flashlights searching for spots while they are sleeping, etc... chill out (i'm often guilty of much of this)... A stressed fish is more susceptible to ich, and making a stressed fish more stressed is a recipe for disaster.