Tulip-polyp syndrome and neoplasia

[vitaliyphoto]

Update from my Tank:​

Over the past 9–12 months, my tank has been struggling with these same issues. Many corals showed no polyp extension and/or tulip-shaped polyps, bumpy tissue, "bounce" bubbles, and only slow encrusting bases with no upward growth.

However, in the last month, I’ve started to notice significant recovery and new growth! Here’s what’s changed:

Key Changes in the Last Month:​

1. Copper Levels Reduced:
   For a long time, my ICP tests consistently showed copper levels around 7.5. Last month, I added Cuprisorb to a reactor, which successfully brought my copper levels down to below 1.0.
2. Alkalinity Correction:
   About a month ago, I discovered that my Alkatronic was reporting alkalinity about 1.0dKH higher than the actual level. While I thought my tank was running at 8.0–8.3, it was actually at 7.0–7.3.
   After correcting this issue and ensuring more stable alkalinity (now maintaining 8.1–8.3), I started monitoring stability meticulously.
   Within two weeks of addressing the alkalinity issue:
   • Growth tips began sprouting across at least four frags that had been stagnant for over a year.
   • Corals affected by hyperplasia bubbles and tulip polyps began showing signs of recovery. The bubbles started subsiding, and polyps started regained their shape and emerging.

Despite the overall improvement, one Needle in a Haystack Acropora colony—previously unaffected—has developed severe hyperplasia in the past couple of months. Oddly enough, its polyps remain normal, and the tips continue growing at the usual rate.

---

Tank Dosing Routine:​

• Kalk: 6L per day
• 2-Part BRS Alkalinity and Calcium: 65ml per day (to supplement beyond what evaporation allows for Kalk dosing)
• Reefmoonshiners Trace Elements

I have never done carbon dosing or used AFR

---

Tank Parameters:​

• Nitrate: 10–15 ppm
• Phosphate: 0.1–0.2 ppm
• Alkalinity: 8.1–8.3
• pH: 8.2–8.5
• Calcium: ~430 ppm
• Magnesium: ~1350 ppm

The combined reduction in copper levels and alkalinity correction has sparked notable recovery and growth in my corals. But who knows, we always think whatever the last thing we did was the magic solution? While it's not a full recovery, it feels like the overall trajectory is positive.

A few side by side shots, all a month or so apart:

Interesting, some improvement is noticeable but “tuliping” is still significant. I too had growth spurts here and there but never full “growth mode”. I am happy to hear improvement are happening, keep up the good work.

As for my tank the tulip polyps are still sognificant despite a 95% water change. The tissues are still bumpy though this should take a few weeks to improve. We shall see.

 

[Troylee]

Please do! Would be great to get someone like him involved in this!

He hasn't responded.. sigh.. I know he’s into coral pathogens etc.

 

[Troylee]

Interesting, some improvement is noticeable but “tuliping” is still significant. I too had growth spurts here and there but never full “growth mode”. I am happy to hear improvement are happening, keep up the good work.

As for my tank the tulip polyps are still sognificant despite a 95% water change. The tissues are still bumpy though this should take a few weeks to improve. We shall see.

Try clipping the tips of the stalled out acros.. that’s worked for me when I had this problem.

 

[vitaliyphoto]

Try clipping the tips of the stalled out acros.. that’s worked for me when I had this problem.

So disheartened over here. This was the very last effort before full tank reset honestly. I lost a year of growth to this and a couple of thousands $, I am so frustrated.

 

[Necrodaemus]

Read through this thread after seeing a post regarding hyperplasia and tulip polyps and now I'm wondering if something is going on with some of my acros. I've been dosing AFR for the whole year that this tank as been up and running. The Oregon tort was moved to this system from a previous tank that was also maintained by AFR.

 

[vitaliyphoto]

Read through this thread after seeing a post regarding hyperplasia and tulip polyps and now I'm wondering if something is going on with some of my acros. I've been dosing AFR for the whole year that this tank as been up and running. The Oregon tort was moved to this system from a previous tank that was also maintained by AFR.

Yep identical. I think everyone is blowing it off but we have a COVID proportions epidemic in our tanks. Just wait till it’s in the tanks of those coral farms- the cure will magically present itself in like a week.

 

[Necrodaemus]

Yep identical. I think everyone is blowing it off but we have a COVID proportions epidemic in our tanks. Just wait till it’s in the tanks of those coral farms- the cure will magically present itself in like a week.

That's what I was afraid of. I'm going to experiment and move off of AFR to 2 part and see what happens.

 

[SaltyCrew4u]

I'm not pointing my finger at any 1 specific thing. But i'm done dosing AFR. I'll dose separately to get the same levels.

 

[vitaliyphoto]

That's what I was afraid of. I'm going to experiment and move off of AFR to 2 part and see what happens.

Just the mess of slime and snot in the AFR dosing container is enough for me to be super concerned. I get it, on paper it looks amazing but so did Tropic Marin salt made in Turkey until it crashed all of them tanks.

I'm not pointing my finger at any 1 specific thing. But i'm done dosing AFR. I'll dose separately to get the same levels.

I hear a lot of people never did dose AFR and still ended up with this. However, it does seem that AFR will create favorable conditions for the issue at least from all the mentions of reefers that have tulip polyps dosing it. I guess what I am saying is that there are multiple roads that lead to the problem, but maybe 50% of them involve AFR?

 

[Bogdan21]

I gave an affected frag to my buddy and within days the tissue became normal, tho the polyps still look off a bit.
This piece was full of bumps. Wish i had before photos, it is a BC Xmas

Did y'all check for stray voltage?
I found out i had a faulty powerhead during a waterchange. I removed it and was getting about 34V still(wonder how much it was before) I ended up buying a grounding probe. Now its at 0.2 - 0.5 V.
Not sure if this affects anything. Its only been 2 days tho.

 

[vitaliyphoto]

I gave an affected frag to my buddy and within days the tissue became normal, tho the polyps still look off a bit.
This piece was full of bumps. Wish i had before photos, it is a BC Xmas

Did y'all check for stray voltage?
I found out i had a faulty powerhead during a waterchange. I removed it and was getting about 34V still(wonder how much it was before) I ended up buying a grounding probe. Now its at 0.2 - 0.5 V.
Not sure if this affects anything. Its only been 2 days tho.

Not a winner, got .6v verified voltmeter beforehand with outlet. A lot of my frags look like the after shot you presented. But it’s still far from optimal. Let’s see what it does in a month. On that note, did your friend realize he might have an issue bigger than AEFW if this takes off in his tank?

 

[Bogdan21]

Not a winner, got .6v verified voltmeter beforehand with outlet. A lot of my frags look like the after shot you presented. But it’s still far from optimal. Let’s see what it does in a month. On that note, did your friend realize he might have an issue bigger than AEFW if this takes off in his tank?

dang...and yeah i told him what was doing in my tank.

 

[Bogdan21]

Not a winner, got .6v verified voltmeter beforehand with outlet. A lot of my frags look like the after shot you presented. But it’s still far from optimal. Let’s see what it does in a month. On that note, did your friend realize he might have an issue bigger than AEFW if this takes off in his tank?

Doubt it will. Seems like its just water column related. If it was bacterial i think the frag would've looked the same and not get better. That's just my opinion.

 

[Necrodaemus]

Any thoughts on heavy flow or lighting being a potential cause? I don't see this with all of my acros....tenuis, Bill Murray acro and most others are doing great. I do run my ReeFi's with Violet, 420nm, and 400nm at equal intensity as the blue channels (along with 2x Blue Plus and 2x Coral Plus T5's at 60% intensity). Flow is around 62x turnover (4 Neros).

 

[vitaliyphoto]

Any thoughts on heavy flow or lighting being a potential cause? I don't see this with all of my acros....tenuis, Bill Murray acro and most others are doing great. I do run my ReeFi's with Violet, 420nm, and 400nm at equal intensity as the blue channels (along with 2x Blue Plus and 2x Coral Plus T5's at 60% intensity). Flow is around 62x turnover (4 Neros).

I entertained a thought it is UV related since Red Sea Reef LED has a heavy violet component. Then I looked at a bunch of tanks that had these lights blasting and were fine, I then also saw Metal Halide tanks with a lot of violet light that were fine. Also saw things improve after water changes which would mean more violet light, not less. I too have a lot of flow. The key thing to realize is that I have about 5 colonies/frags that also have no symptoms, but what you don’t Tend to realize is that there is a symptom even in those and it’s a slightly slower growth than their potential growth. There’s also slight variation in how the phenomen presents itself in different corals: torches- slow to non existent growth with super thin tips and bubbles that go immediately after tips, acropora- either fine bumps almost like they are covered in salt crystals (a lot like some of your frags) or larger bumps and disfigured growth, pectinia- slow growth and weird super bloating alternating with shriveling.

Of note is that affected corals are found in both low and high light as well as in high and low flow.

 

[jackson6745]

All of these theories can be debunked based on other reef with affected corals and different sets of variables. IMO there is something salinity related somehow. Alan Vo’s post makes sense (scroll back a few pages). I know this isn’t the case for everyone, but when I raised my salinity to 1.025-26 the growth returned to normal in 6 weeks. I was unknowing running my salinity around 1.021-22.

Even if salinity is in normal range, perhaps a salinity swing or even a lower element salt could cause it? I don’t know. Definitely get a current ICP if you’re at the point of considering a system reset.

Many, not all, of the hobbyists affected carbon dosed. There are also other ways of introducing carbon in the system through foods etc. If considering a full system reset perhaps check DOC levels with a Triton n-doc. I actually picked up a couple and plan on sending them out a few times per year just to monitor.

The best canary coral IME with this weird bubble growth is a pc rainbow. If you dont already have a bounce pc rainbow, get one as a gauge lol.

 

[vitaliyphoto]

All of these theories can be debunked based on other reef with affected corals and different sets of variables. IMO there is something salinity related somehow. Alan Vo’s post makes sense (scroll back a few pages). I know this isn’t the case for everyone, but when I raised my salinity to 1.025-26 the growth returned to normal in 6 weeks. I was unknowing running my salinity around 1.021-22.

Even if salinity is in normal range, perhaps a salinity swing or even a lower element salt could cause it? I don’t know. Definitely get a current ICP if you’re at the point of considering a system reset.

Many, not all, of the hobbyists affected carbon dosed. There are also other ways of introducing carbon in the system through foods etc. If considering a full system reset perhaps check DOC levels with a Triton n-doc. I actually picked up a couple and plan on sending them out a few times per year just to monitor.

The best canary coral IME with this weird bubble growth is a pc rainbow. If you dont already have a bounce pc rainbow, get one as a gauge lol.

Using both brightwell refractometer solution calibrated refractometer and TM high precision hydrometer I have confirmed my salinity is on point.

Why would you need an ICP test if you did 33% water changes 4 days in a row followed up by a 95% water change?

I have quite a few corals exhibiting the issue. I really don’t think the disease is CAUSED by carbon dosing, all for reef, etc, I think it is SUPPORTED by something we may be adding to the water. I mean this can be as weird as some fish excreting some sort of pathogen or chemical through infected/infested digestive tract. Just saying, this is a very complicated issue that can’t be tested for and oversimplifications are unproductive. I’ve had this for almost a year now.

 

[Necrodaemus]

All of these theories can be debunked based on other reef with affected corals and different sets of variables. IMO there is something salinity related somehow. Alan Vo’s post makes sense (scroll back a few pages). I know this isn’t the case for everyone, but when I raised my salinity to 1.025-26 the growth returned to normal in 6 weeks. I was unknowing running my salinity around 1.021-22.

Even if salinity is in normal range, perhaps a salinity swing or even a lower element salt could cause it? I don’t know. Definitely get a current ICP if you’re at the point of considering a system reset.

Many, not all, of the hobbyists affected carbon dosed. There are also other ways of introducing carbon in the system through foods etc. If considering a full system reset perhaps check DOC levels with a Triton n-doc. I actually picked up a couple and plan on sending them out a few times per year just to monitor.

The best canary coral IME with this weird bubble growth is a pc rainbow. If you dont already have a bounce pc rainbow, get one as a gauge lol.

Interesting that you mention PC Rainbow as being the "coal mine canary". While mine doesn't show any tissue bubbling, I'm getting strange, thicker growth from both pieces (acquired from 2 different sources) and instead of growing vertical wity branches, they are just encrusting and growing thick on top.
I've also had millies growing very deformed corallites.

 

[jackson6745]

Using both brightwell refractometer solution calibrated refractometer and TM high precision hydrometer I have confirmed my salinity is on point.

Why would you need an ICP test if you did 33% water changes 4 days in a row followed up by a 95% water change?

I have quite a few corals exhibiting the issue. I really don’t think the disease is CAUSED by carbon dosing, all for reef, etc, I think it is SUPPORTED by something we may be adding to the water. I mean this can be as weird as some fish excreting some sort of pathogen or chemical through infected/infested digestive tract. Just saying, this is a very complicated issue that can’t be tested for and oversimplifications are unproductive. I’ve had this for almost a year now.

Why wouldn’t you do an ICP? You should take advantage of every test available to you. You could have an element wildly off in your salt, or accumulating in the tank.

We now have doc tests and even aquabiomics tests available. You can have high doc without carbon dosing. Instead of throwing darts at the board or following theories, we have some real ways of discovering anomalies that we are not capable of testing for ourselves.

 

[vitaliyphoto]

Why wouldn’t you do an ICP? You should take advantage of every test available to you. You could have an element wildly off in your salt, or accumulating in the tank.

We now have doc tests and even aquabiomics tests available. You can have high doc without carbon dosing. Instead of throwing darts at the board or following theories, we have some real ways of discovering anomalies that we are not capable of testing for ourselves.

Why wouldn’t you do an ICP? You should take advantage of every test available to you. You could have an element wildly off in your salt, or accumulating in the tank.

We now have doc tests and even aquabiomics tests available. You can have high doc without carbon dosing. Instead of throwing darts at the board or following theories, we have some real ways of discovering anomalies that we are not capable of testing for ourselves.

early in the game I did an ICP besides Lithium all normal. I used different salt mixes over time and the issue persists, current water change was 2 salt mixes mixed 70-30%, tropic Marin and Accurasea1.

Interesting that you mention PC Rainbow as being the "coal mine canary". While mine doesn't show any tissue bubbling, I'm getting strange, thicker growth from both pieces (acquired from 2 different sources) and instead of growing vertical wity branches, they are just encrusting and growing thick on top.
I've also had millies growing very deformed corallites.

That’s one of the ways it presents. But multiple presentations exist. Tulip polyps is the most frequent.