We’re taking a slightly different approach to the usual Picture of the Week here at the AquaNerd Blog. Instead of presenting an image of a stunning fish or coral, which we usually go on to describe, we’re showing off a common reef aquarium pest. This pest is so tiny that it may be difficult to find in the image. That said, we encourage you to try and find it, making sure to let us know your guesses in the comment section below. If you don’t have a clue as to what the pest might be, continue reading below for the answer.
If you want to avoid ruining the guessing game, just continue on to the comments below. The subject of the image is a very common Acropora pest, the common red bug. These tiny critters are actually crustaceans, and as you can see, they love to hang out on the colored sticks that so many of us have come to house in our tanks. In small numbers, the red bugs don’t pose much of a problem, and are more of an annoyance. The coral might have retracted polyps and may lose some color, but for the most part, the coral will survive. It’s when the red bug population gets way out of control. As the population increases, so to does the stress on the coral. Fortunately, there’s an easy solution. Besides natural red bug predators, an in-tank treatment consisting of the Interceptor dog medication will eradicate almost every red bug on the first dose.
