here is my 2g bucket fuge that grows chaeto macro so effectively that i have taken the skimmer offline for the past six months with no detrimental effects noted whatsoever.
the 2g fuge is on my mixed 110g with lps, clams, some softies and nems.
here is my 5g bucket fuge that grows macro faster than you can say 'i think i wanted chocolate ice cream...not vanilla'.
this one was on my 125g office tank before the tank itself sprang a leak and caused more trouble than i would care to mention.
notice that there is no light shining through the bucket...that is because it is filled with overgrown chaeto. this took about a week or two to completely fill the bucket from a softball sized starter.
here it is at the very beginning.
you can see all the light penetrating the bucket. phenomenal chaeto growth, yeah?
now, onto the 5g bucket that is on my 180g sps with 250g NET adjusted volume of water. it is the same design: set up for pure raw rapid chaeto growth. you can see how i create a rotational water motion to spin the chaeto for maximal colony exposure to light and nutrients.
flow is high in the buckets. the 5g gets about 120x turnover per hour and the 2g gets about 150x turnover. pod growth in both are explosive. there is no lr, rubble or sand in any of the buckets. tried that before and it just ends up to be an icky mess.
it now takes me about 3 minutes to make a bucket fuge as the plumbing is beyond simple (after refining the design for the past 5 years). cost: well, in most cases, it should be free as i dont know of one reefer that doesnt have a spare bucket lying around along with miscellaneous plumbing fittings, tubing and a spare pump.
lights of america 65w 6500k fixture? $8.50 at costco. the pc bulb i use on the 2g is about $1. the stupid lamp with a clamp cost $10 at fry's...cant believe i spent that much on a light with no bulb!!!
bucket fuges are not pretty and lack the bragging level that comes with custom designed and made compartmentalized acrylic tanks that can cost more than my light fixture for the main display!