Dead birdsnest coral recovery

[Aipaloovik]

So I had a long spine urchin that was super awesome until he ate the top half of all my birdsnest's branches. The underside of the branches all have their polyps extended and seem to be doing just fine. I know that bleached birdsnest can recover but this is more than bleaching, the polyps are gone from the top and there is a dusting of algae on the dead parts.

Can the dead spots grow their polyps back or are they gone for good?

 

[Coelli]

I don't know for sure with such large areas, but whenever I frag my birdsnest (and mine was pretty massive before I broke it apart and removed it from my rock wall) it will cover the broken parts over within a couple of weeks. I doubt the polyps will come back from the skeleton on yours but have little doubt that if you leave it alone it will grow over the old part, given time. If yours is anything like mine it's unstoppable.