Possible pest? Please help ID

[NISMO703]

I bought a red dragon frag today and passed it along to a friend as an early Christmas present. He was dipping in coral rx and noticed these. Can anyone help id these and if they are harmful? Thanks for your input.

 

[TK_KW]

Doesn't look like anything to me, but could be wrong

 

[JGT]

I bought a red dragon frag today and passed it along to a friend as an early Christmas present. He was dipping in coral rx and noticed these. Can anyone help id these and if they are harmful? Thanks for your input.

Could be red bugs, do they move?

 

[RVA REEF]

this would end our friendship if you gave me that

 

[NISMO703]

I contacted the seller and said he never noticed anything in his display. My friend dipped, lightly brushed it with a toothbrush and discarded the old plug. We’re still reef buddies lol

 

[Alexopora]

When in doubt, just gently pry the frag of the plug and attach to a new plug (as your friend has done). This practice has really cut down the risk of introducing nasties into my DT. But of course this is just for pests that aren’t the coral itself hence where quarantine comes in.