Why are hairy mushrooms so cheap?

[LouH]

Relative to other mushrooms, hairy mushrooms are fairly cheap. Why? Are they significantly alleopathic? I think that they look like small anemones and are much easier to keep.
Lou

 

[Andrew]

They normally aren't cheap if they have good coloration: I picked up this rock with a huge baseball sized one and two smaller ones on it for $40

 

[Turbo snail]

They grow like weeds under way less than perfect conditions, that always helps lower prices

 

[Michigan Mike]

Yup, I got some, the first one was about 3/4 " when I got it and after a month it's about 4" around during daytime hours. Looks like pic above, glows well under actinics, for under $10

 

[Gandolfe]

I had one that was well over 10" wide and split twice in 4 years but lost it when i had a 5' foxface die and I added too much ammo lock to keep from having an amonia spike..lost most of my mushrooms, all my starfish, my xenia and a few shrimp and most of my snails as well

 

[LouH]

10"! I didn't know that they got that big. Are they toxic to their other tankmates?

 

[Gandolfe]

mine weren't I had like 5 of em altogether only have 3 left after i screwed up and killed them. the biggest one i have now is about 4" across.It's the clone of the 10" one sorry about the quality of the pics but you can get the idea of how big it was..Lost those large xenia too

 

[bizzarro]

I had one on a large rock and since it's deflated from like over 6" I now see there's another one next to it about the size of a half dollar. the hairy tentacles look different though.

I don't know about being cheaper, they're about the same price or even more.

 

[Gandolfe]

Yeah had the same thing happen with the one thats left, there was a smaller one under it that isn't growing because of living in it's "big brothers" shadow....LOL

 

[dccdennis]

My rock of hairy shrooms had three on it, I added a pair of clown fish and the male keeps rubbing on them. Now the large mushroom split into 3, and another is splitting too. It's the first time I watched these ones split, and I want to say the clown fish has triggered the split. Has anyone else had the happen? I am curious since the ones that are splitting are the ones he is rubbing on.

 

[LouH]

I don't know. My mushroom went from being a 2.5" single disc to two 1.5" individuals in the time since I initiated this thread, and it isn't being harassed.

Lou

 

[Michigan Mike]

They normally aren't cheap if they have good coloration: I picked up this rock with a huge baseball sized one and two smaller ones on it for $40

This has to be the prettiest one I've seen. Mine only looks semi good under actinics!lol

 

[silas k]

Yes that one is a bute!!

 

[Travis590]

My rock of hairy shrooms had three on it, I added a pair of clown fish and the male keeps rubbing on them. Now the large mushroom split into 3, and another is splitting too. It's the first time I watched these ones split, and I want to say the clown fish has triggered the split. Has anyone else had the happen? I am curious since the ones that are splitting are the ones he is rubbing on.

I have the exact same experience, in the display tank at the store I work at we have a pair of clowns and they are always rubbing on the hairy mushrooms and those things split rapidly. Could just be the tank conditions but I would like to think it has something to do with the clowns .

 

[Osteoicthyes]

I got mine from a LFS store that had several huge specimens. His were like 15" or so wide and he called them "elephant ears"

I'm glad I got one from him after begging and begging for him to sell me one of the babies. It was in his show tank. I now have three that are about 5" across when fully open. I wish they'd get as big as his.

 

[Whisperer]

These ain't cheap.

 

[LouH]

Wow, those are beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

 

[moondoggy4]

The one that Andrew posted I thought was a frilly mushroom I have lots in my 120 tank started with one and my clown has hosted it and now I got over 10.

 

[davidadelp]

Ive had one before that was given to me by mistake I guess it was on a rock and was very small. I had it under a 150w MH and that stupid thing took off it split into like 8 different mushrooms. The biggest was around 4" when it was under the right conditions.

 

[OxfordMick]

Just curious, where do you guys & gals place your hairy mushroom in your tank to have it grow and expand like that? I have a small hairy mushroom (less than 1") at the bottom of my 24" deep tank. I have this mushroom for about a month....have not notice any growth.