at least the damage to my pocket wasn't too bad - seller doesn't accept returns, just take it as a lesson then.
Hmm... eBay? Did the seller not mention problems with the glass at all? Their dispute resolution centre might not be great as you might possibly imagine, but if he didn't say anything about the fungus then it might be worth pursuing.
what you see are two of the larger specks, the rest are just little spots, all around the centre area, perhaps 5-6 spots in total, including those 2 beauties you see up there.
Fungus starts off as spots, as it begins as a very small colony which then spreads outwards. So the spots might well start expanding.
Personally, it's news to me that fungus starts from the sides, but I'm not a lens repair technician so that doesn't necessarily mean anything. The samples I have seen are similar to this, maybe with more/bigger spots, but as I said, it all begins as a speck, and in its earliest stages I don't think it's possible to distinguish between fungus and a dust spot with the naked eye.
i don't really plan to clean it up, i think cleaning would cost more than what i paid for the lens.....
No, and depending on the extent of the damage it could be significantly more than a normal clean, as the lens might need recoating or even repolishing. The latter probably not worth doing for all but the ridiculously expensive lenses.
would it be good to keep uninfected lenses away from infected ones?
Yes, I am unsure about this as well, I've heard varying opinions about this and not seen any concrete information one way or the other.
i am wondering, since putting it in a dry cabinet would surely halt all growth given the right RH? seems like there's mixed opinions online about this.
I believe that this is the theory but again, do not know scientifically if so. At the same time I think the theory doing the rounds is that frequent use also tends to stymie fungus developing (and growth?) because they need still air.
I do highly suspect that the lens has been sitting around for yonks, unused... I'd completely forgotten about Quantaray the brand until now, although someone will doubtless pop up and tell me they're alive and well.
is there any way to ensure that the fungus doesn't spread any more?
I would have thought the same advice re not getting it would apply... no humid places, and regular use (to keep the air inside the lens in circulation rather than going stale).