Aquarium Pump to Aerate Wort??

Hey everyone.. my friend gave me a unused aquarium pump that he had sitting around. I've heard you can use these to aerate wort rather then just splashing it around with a mash paddle or whatever.... My question is do I need one of those sanitary filters they sell on some Brew websites? Obviously you can't filter the air when you are just using a mash paddle...? Anyone with experience with or without the filter? Thanks....

you will need an aeration stone

Yes I would definitely get a HEPA filter, your going to get a big debate about the effects of an aquarium pump vs. splashing vs. pure oxygen. Try searching it so you can see the differences.

GodsStepBrother said:

your going to get a big debate about the effects of an aquarium pump vs. splashing vs. pure oxygen. Try searching it so you can see the differences.

Click to expand...

Check this out: http://www.wyeastlab.com/faqs.cfm?website=3#r44

Yes I do the pure oxygen. But I still got very good beer with the shaking method.

I don't mind shaking the wort... For the most part I use ale pails and just use my paddle to aerate. I use carboys and this is where I wanted to utilize the pump.

It has a stone already so I guess I should spend the 5 bucks for a filter.

So there is no difference with the pump vs. shaking?

The whole shaking method kind of frightens me. By shaking your wort and splashing it about you run the risk of introducing microbes that you killed during the boil. With the aquarium pump you are essentially introducing the same O2 as with shaking, and therefore adding the same microbes. If you choose to go with the pump method I strongly recommend using a hepafilter.

By using a mash paddle or spoon you add just one more variable for contamination of the wort. My preferred method which I use each brew day is to use a can of O2 with a sterile line which feeds into a hepafilter and the other end coming off the back end of the filter is attached to a carbonating stone. This ensures pure O2 is getting into your wort, and you can infuse the wort for yeast attenuation. As with all aeration methods, you run the risk of over oxygenating the wort, so caution should used with all methods. On a side note, the shaking method is very inconstant, and you never know how much dissolved O2 is getting into the wort. For me this is a huge problem, for constancy is something I strive for with each batch.

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I simply use one of those aeration devices that attaches to your drill. Just sanitize, attach to drill and aerate for around 5 minutes. Be careful not to hit edges or bottom if using plastic carboys.

I have an aquarium pump with some aeration stones that I use whenever I have a smack-pack or washed yeast with a starter.

I clean the hoses and aeration stones in hot soapy water, then I soak them in sanitizer solution right up until I put them into the wort. I haven't ever had any infection problems with this method, although I don't pretend that an infection isn't more likely with aeration hoses and stones than through simple capping and shaking.

I will run the pump and aeration stones for about 10 minutes, probably more than necessary and that gives me a very frothy, yeast-friendly wort that kicks the fermentation off muy pronto.

I should point out though, that I don't aerate when I'm using dry or dry (hydrated) yeast. In my experience it's not necessary with higher pitch rates. Although I suppose a healthy fermentation is a healthy fermentation regardless of what yeast you use.