Primary to 2ndary help needed!

Hello all,

I am new to home brewing and I have just brewed my first batch this past weekend. Here are my questions...

From everything I've read it says that I should avoid exposing the wort to oxygen while in the primary fermentor. So when I go to siphon from primary to the 2ndary carboy container how do I not expose the wort to air when I have to take the lid off of the primary to get the siphon into the bucket?

2nd question is how long do I leave it in the carboy and how do I know when fermentation is complete? Thanks in advance! (Sorry for basic questions).

-Tom

Wait til at least next weekend. You can remove the lid just before you rack. It'll be fine for that long. Most likely, fermentation will be complete before next weekend, but leave it in the secondary for at least 2 weeks. This is mostly just for settling and clearing.