Will Duncan re-grow from base fragment?

[Ohmegg]

When I moved recently I gave some of my larger coral frags away but kept the live rock and everything that had encrusted on it so I could start a new. A small piece of the base of a Duncan coral flesh was left on the rock from where I ripped it off. This piece has been luminous under blue light for over a week now. Could this grow into a new Duncan head? 
 

[less than bread]

It could. I've read about even more difficult to keep corals randomly coming back after seemingly being dead. I think I read one about someone who thought they lost a montipora frag so they just tossed it behind a rock, then a few months later while rearranging things, they discovered a thriving montipora back there.

[jservedio]

If there is flesh left, it can absolutely come back if you do your part! How long it will take to recover depends entirely on how far gone it is and how fast the coral naturally grows. I've had half a dozen corals come back from seemingly nothing. Don't give up on your duncan and don't throw it out - even if you can't visibly see flesh. You don't even need a single polyp - just a tiny bit of flesh will do.

 

This raggedy quarter polyp of favia:

 

Survived and grew back into this fist sized colony over the years:

 

 

 

And this stunner chalice was sitting under my rockwork for 6 full months in total darkness. Barely hanging on - all of the flesh between polyps gone and covered in growth:

 

 

Less than a year of recovery later.

 

 

And the most impressive recovery I've had that's going on 8 years: It was a frag that "totally died" and I had removed the plug from the tank and threw it out. 3 years later, this little polyp sprouted out of the handful of cells that must have been left behind when I pulled the plug off. There wasn't even a speck of visible flesh. That is maybe 3/16 of an inch across!

 

Before the micro overtook it, I chiseled it off and it now looks like this 4 more years later:

[Tired]

Excellent reminders not to throw coral skeletons out, if you have any space at all to keep them in. 

[Ohmegg]

Thank you all! The little piece of green flesh is still showing luminescence. I will update if it turns into a polyp or die.