Tissue recession normal after shipping/acclimating?

[OldRed1]

I added this rose gold hammer frag to my tank approximately 10 days ago. Judging by the algae line, the tissue continues to recede on the skeleton. Is this normal? Should I expect that in a few more weeks the tissue will begin to expand again?

For context, I am using the Red Sea coral pro salt. Water parameters are as follows:

Nitrate - 10 mg/L
Phos - 30 ppm
Alk - 11.5 dKh
Salinity - 1.024

Lighting schedule:

I have been hesitant to glue the frag to a rock until the tissue started to recover. But I’m wondering if the frag needs to be even further down, closer to the sand bed. It is currently in the corner of the tank on the frag rack, where it receives modest light and flow.

 

[Timfish]

I see it sometimes moving corals of different species between systems. It always concerns me but it is indicative of different environmental conditions than what it was used to.

 

[OldRed1]

I see it sometimes moving corals of different species between systems. It always concerns me but it is indicative of different environmental conditions than what it was used to.

My practice thus far in the tank has been to not rush to changes. So, without intervention, I plan to just leave the hammer in its current spot.

With hammers, what is the “line of last resort,” so to speak. That is, when do I know that something MUST change or else it’s too late?

 

[Timfish]

. . . That is, when do I know that something MUST change or else it’s too late?

That is impossible to say. Over time you will likely learn some of the subtle indicators something is wrong. However, resaerch shows corals can have serious bacterial infections well before there are any external indicators and neither growth or color can be used to determine the health of a coral.