I think I did something stupid with my yeast...

[Brew_Meister_General]

Basically I have the fastferment and after doing a partial boil the wort at the top was thinner than it was at the bottom (I presume), which was also where all my yeast was sitting, so I thought it would be a fun idea to take the yeast from the bottom and pitch it in the top, but after all the spillage and splashing I'm now realised it was a stupid idea. This was after 24 hours of primary so I image oxygen is bad right now.

 

[Singletrack]

I think your beer will be fine. Probably little or no harm done. Some people re-aerate big beers at about this stage because they think it builds the yeast count or something. I have no experience with that, and I wouldn't do it, but it must be okay.

 

[menerdari]

Oxygen is a good thing during fermentation, the yeast need it, not so much good after fermentation is done.
Some of the things I make that are harder to ferment will have you vigorously stir every day sometimes twice a day.

 

[theseeker4]

Basically I have the fastferment and after doing a partial boil the wort at the top was thinner than it was at the bottom (I presume), which was also where all my yeast was sitting, so I thought it would be a fun idea to take the yeast from the bottom and pitch it in the top, but after all the spillage and splashing I'm now realised it was a stupid idea. This was after 24 hours of primary so I image oxygen is bad right now.

You can stir it up very vigorously before, during, and right after pitching the yeast. After that though, let it sit. The yeast producing CO2 will naturally agitate the beer as it ferments, and there are plenty of yeast suspended from bottom to top of the fermenter to eat up all the sugars, even if it looks like there are a ton more at the bottom. Best thing to do for most beers after pitching the yeast is to not do anything to them until they are finished fermenting.

 

[Brew_Meister_General]

Oxygen is a good thing during fermentation, the yeast need it, not so much good after fermentation is done.
Some of the things I make that are harder to ferment will have you vigorously stir every day sometimes twice a day.

As in to introduce more oxygen or to simply get the yeast back up in suspension?

 

[BigFloyd]

Oxygen is a good thing during fermentation, the yeast need it, not so much good after fermentation is done.
Some of the things I make that are harder to ferment will have you vigorously stir every day sometimes twice a day.

You may want to clarify this so that newer brewers don't get the wrong idea and end up with an oxidized batch.

Oxygen (up to a certain dissolved level) is a good thing during the initial phases of the fermentation process. That's when the yeast colony is engaged in aerobic respiration for reproduction. When that concludes, they convert over to anaerobic processes during which they convert fermentable sugars to alcohol and CO2. Introducing oxygen after they switched over to anaerobic fermentation is generally not a good thing.

I've had to rouse yeast at times by stirring them up with a big spoon later in the process, but you want to do this gently to avoid splashing.

 

[menerdari]

You may want to clarify this so that newer brewers don't get the wrong idea and end up with an oxidized batch.

Oxygen (up to a certain dissolved level) is a good thing during the initial phases of the fermentation process. That's when the yeast colony is engaged in aerobic respiration for reproduction. When that concludes, they convert over to anaerobic processes during which they convert fermentable sugars to alcohol and CO2. Introducing oxygen after they switched over to anaerobic fermentation is generally not a good thing.

I've had to rouse yeast at times by stirring them up with a big spoon later in the process, but you want to do this gently to avoid splashing.

You are right, I should have clarified, the original poster was only 24 hours into his fermentation.