Couple of questions

1) I've got 5 or 6 brews under my belt now (just using the kits) and on all of them I have used a bucket for the primary. I have a 6.5 gallon glass carboy that I would like to try for the primary (just to watch some of the action) but I'm still unsure how to rig up a blow-off tube. What size and how long does the tube need to be. Does it just fit down over the carboy stopper or do you leave the stopper out when you rig it up. And also is a blow off tube absolutey necessary with the 6.5 gallon carboy?

2) I have a large utility room at my house that stays dark most of the time but has no temperture control. Lately the room temperture has been ranging from 45-50 at night to 60-70 in the daytime. Is that too much temperture swing to condition the bottles in? Thanks

1) you can either get a tube with an outside diameter that fits right into the next of the carboy, or you can get one with an inside diameter that fits right over the nipple in the bung (if you have that type of bung). either way works just fine.

2) that's a lot of swing in the temps. here's a cheap and easy way to control temps, regardless of ambient temps.