Fish tank thermostat/heater

[JonGoku]

I'm sure this is only a temporary and rare problem for most Southern Californians but to keep the wort warm enough during fermentation has anyone used a fish tank thermostat/heater? I tried looking at a number of different models online and saw a few that had a +/-1*F accuracy and would assume throwing one in a water bath that contained a fermenting bucket or carboy would do the trick pretty cheaply.

This might only work for regular ales as the lowest temp setting I saw was for 65*F. If your trying to do largers I doubt "heating" would be a very unlikely problem in SoCal.

Some Links:
Tetratec Aquarium Heater/Thermostat
Top Submersible Aquarium Heaters

Anyways, I bet this solution would work a lot better then a heat band as it would be a lot more uniform (I think).

[brahn]

I used one for the belgian I brewed in December and it worked great with heater in the water bath. I use a Marineland Stealth model. I wouldn't rely on the thermistat in the heater for the temperature, check it with another thermometer, but once you've found the right temperature the thermistat will keep it there.

Brent

[JonGoku]

I used one for the belgian I brewed in December and it worked great with heater in the water bath. I use a Marineland Stealth model. I wouldn't rely on the thermistat in the heater for the temperature, check it with another thermometer, but once you've found the right temperature the thermistat will keep it there.

Brent

Neat, good to know. I looked at Marineland models online, but could not find a spec sheet for the life of me. I wanted to make sure the accuracy was at least +/-1*.

Thanks for the input!

[backyard brewer]

THey are very accurate on the hold, buit not on the setting if that makes sense... If the little dial says 75*, it's anybody's guess what it'll settle out at. However, if you use another thermometer to get it to 75*... It'll hold that temp very well.

[brahn]

THey are very accurate on the hold, buit not on the setting if that makes sense... If the little dial says 75*, it's anybody's guess what it'll settle out at. However, if you use another thermometer to get it to 75*... It'll hold that temp very well.

That's what I meant, but I think you said it clearer...

[jward]

Let me put a plug in for Eheim submersible heaters. They are rugged and the thermostat requires some force to set(you can use a coin) so the setting doesn't move when it gets bumped etc. JR had an idea for using a heater directly to keep belgian ales nice and toasty. It involved sealing the heater in the top of a conical fermenter with the glass directly in the wort. I hear you don't want to submerse the heater in wort since the alcohol is hard on the plastic parts even if salt water isn't a problem. I don't think I'd want to submerse it even if it were OK.

[JonGoku]

THey are very accurate on the hold, buit not on the setting if that makes sense... If the little dial says 75*, it's anybody's guess what it'll settle out at. However, if you use another thermometer to get it to 75*... It'll hold that temp very well.

That's what I meant, but I think you said it clearer...

Yeah, I understood both of you, as that was my assumption as well. Thank you for your feedback, but darn, I kinda feel sorry for the poor fish that get one of these guys thats a good 5*F off.

By the way, is there any rule of thumb for what temp you should keep your beer at for the first couple weeks after bottling? I would assume it should be the same temperature as the main fermentation period, but that is just a guess. I'm not sure how practical it would be, but could you use a very similar method to keep them the correct temperature as well? That is keep the bottles in a water bath with a submersible heater.

[maltbarley]

I used to put them in my closet which kept a pretty constant 70-75. Of course you may want them in a plastic tub in case one of them goes off. It never happened to me, but I've heard some horror stories. I think the water bath at 70 is fine if you want to do that.

[JonGoku]

Hrmm, my house is cold I guess. It's 12:00 noon, and the reading in the closet inside where I have my 2 cases of bottled beer was 67-68*. I may need to do the bottles in the igloo with the fish tank heater idea.

[imredforeman]

i guess you could use an aquarium for your beerquarium.just make sure and sanitize it and figure out a way to still seal the carboy maybe take a notch out of the bung.

[JonGoku]

i guess you could use an aquarium for your beerquarium.just make sure and sanitize it and figure out a way to still seal the carboy maybe take a notch out of the bung.

Beerquarium... Hmmm I like your thinking, but perhaps there's a misunderstanding here.

The top of the carboy, fermentation bucket, etc would not not be submerged. That would truly be an accident waiting to happen. I am just talking about submerging as much of the fermentor (or bottle) as possible without covering the neck or top area. I agree that any container, including a glass or plastic aquarium could be used as long as it held water, but the better insulated it is, like a igloo cooler would be, it would help maintain a more stable temperature.

Anyways, I apologize if I stated the obvious or something you probably already understand as you sound like you have much more experience then myself, however I wanted to make sure my question wasn't confusing you.

Cheers!

[imredforeman]

sorry bro i thought you meant an aquarium heater that actually goes into the (water)wort.my bad yea if you put it in a tub or something that would work as well.i personally wouldnt worry about the ferm temp here in cali. its always warm enough to ferment ales here.

[JonGoku]

sorry bro i thought you meant an aquarium heater that actually goes into the (water)wort.my bad yea if you put it in a tub or something that would work as well.i personally wouldnt worry about the ferm temp here in cali. its always warm enough to ferment ales here.

Yea, I hear you. I think I got started at an odd time and that cold spell we had a couple weeks ago got me worried so I start this thread. Normally I think we have the opposite problem. I'm currently mulling over the idea of fermenting a larger in an igloo cooler as my wife might not be too happy with an extra fridge. Perhaps I could convince someone here in the club to babysit a bucket or carboy for me in their larger ice box instead.

Cheers!

[bwarbiany]

Beerquarium... There's an idea.

I might have to turn an old carboy into an aquarium now!

--- Oh wait, I'm not a bachelor any more... Don't think that idea will fly!

[imredforeman]

i have a beerquarium every time i ferment i just sit there once in a while and watch my little yeasties swim around eating up all that good wort turning it into beautiful beer