Why are hairy mushrooms so cheap?

[Khemul]

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.

The thing to keep in mind is the growth pattern of corals. It is based off of points of growth. The smaller the colony the fewer points. The percentage of growth is usually set by the tank condition. But as the colony grows the amount of points of growth increases, causing the total mass of growth to accelerate. In the case of mushrooms, under perfect circumstances it can be exponential.

With a single small specimen initial growth is painfully slow. But once it reaches reproductive size, your perception will change drastically. One growth point will become two, effectively doubling the growth rate of the colony. Two will become four. Four will become eight. And so on.