Fish tanks

[WizardBill]

Just been wondering... With my new basement/brewery, would a 50 or a 20 gallon fishtank do the trick for lots of different things? I can see it for the mash tun. I can see it for the fermenting. Both are easy to aerate, when you add the aerators. Just wondering if it had been tried before.

I did a search and could not find it anywhere, but I cannot be the first with this idea.

 

[kh54s10]

YUCK!

Mash tun? No you would likely break it before finishing the first brew!

Open fermenting? Maybe....

 

[WizardBill]

Why the yuck? It is as sanitizable as the next glass container. I would not use it for open fermenting, either. There are lids that can be sealed. I am asking because of the dimensions. They seem to do well. My brewery has a low ceiling and I am trying to get my stuff to fit well. And, why would I break it as a mash tun?

 

[kh54s10]

Yuck - slimy fish turds!
Hit the glass with your mash paddle and pounds of wet grain adding pressure......

And as I said fermenting... Maybe.... Open fermentation. Or reasonably tight cover.

 

[k_mcarthur]

Might be an interesting idea, only a few things to work out for it to be used as a fermenter. You must be able to clean and sanitize every inch of it, the corners will be the root of any infections. The lid must fit airtight and a blow off tube installed. For those sizes you would want a spigot for transferring, might be hard in glass. I could see the 50 gal converted into a fermenting chamber; cannibalize the compressor and fan from an old fridge, temp control, and lower carboys inside so you can monitor fermentation without even having to open it. This type of curiosity and ingenuity is my favorite part of homebrewing, good luck.

 

[Yooper]

Why the yuck? It is as sanitizable as the next glass container. I would not use it for open fermenting, either. There are lids that can be sealed. I am asking because of the dimensions. They seem to do well. My brewery has a low ceiling and I am trying to get my stuff to fit well. And, why would I break it as a mash tun?

Well, there are a couple of issues with using it as a mash tun.

1. I'm not sure boiling water works with fish tanks.
2. How would you insulate it? You need to hold the temperature for 1 hour or more.
3. How would you separate the mash from the liquid? Using a bag or something to hold the grain?
4. How would you drain the runnings from the fish tank?

 

[DrNecropolis]

No, The silicone in the seams would hold any baddies you don't want..

They say its good enough, but after a long long time in the saltwater fish world, I can say that you never add chemical treatments to the display tank because the compounds can bind and leech over time.. the same would be true for any type of bacterial infection..

An acrylic tank is possible, but would be major hassle..

 

[aiptasia]

Why the yuck? It is as sanitizable as the next glass container. I would not use it for open fermenting, either. There are lids that can be sealed. I am asking because of the dimensions. They seem to do well. My brewery has a low ceiling and I am trying to get my stuff to fit well. And, why would I break it as a mash tun?

IMHO, dude. Are you high?

I've been keeping aquaria for over 30 years. My Wife and I met because we're both mutual fish geeks. At our worst depth of MTS (multiple tank syndrome), we've had over 30 tanks going at any one time. We've since reasonably curbed that number down to three tanks.

Aquariums are harbingers of bacteria. That's the way they're designed. You could fill your tanks with bleach, drain them, and you'd have a bacterial colony blooming in your tank within six hours. See that silicone lining the joints of the tank? Full of bacteria, and water tight. The silicone expands and contracts with temperature changes. Even a brand new tank has plenty of bacteria after being manually applied and sitting in a warehouse (not to mention a pet shop) for god knows how long. Not to mention most tanks are made with recycled glass. Especially AGA tanks (all glass aquarium brand). I've seen recycled opaque shower door plate glass as base material as the bottom sheets in AGA tanks.

As a mash tun, it's no good because the silicone will expand releasing a healthy dose of bacteria into your wort. All of the expansion and contraction of the hot wort will potentially ruin the wort as well as the joints at the corners of the aquarium.

 

[FatDragon]

I was going to mention the silicone, but I see I was beaten to it. I also agree that there's a good chance the glass on a fish tank wouldn't hold up to boiling or mashing temperatures; fish tanks are designed to hold water roughly in the 50-85 degrees Fahrenheit range; 150+ would likely be problematic.

 

[WizardBill]

OK. Well, I see that is a bad idea, then. So, I am still working on things. THAT one I thought of, one day when I was looking at my area and figuring out my design.

Fishtanks are out. It just SEEMED ideal. You can see in it, you can easily put a spigot on the end, and it is relatively light weight. BUT, I will figure this stuff out.

(No, I am not high, btw, was just asking.)

 

[FatDragon]

OK. Well, I see that is a bad idea, then. So, I am still working on things. THAT one I thought of, one day when I was looking at my area and figuring out my design.

Fishtanks are out. It just SEEMED ideal. You can see in it, you can easily put a spigot on the end, and it is relatively light weight. BUT, I will figure this stuff out.

(No, I am not high, btw, was just asking.)

It would have been a bad idea if you had gone and done it without asking anybody and experienced a catastrophic failure as a result. It was an interesting idea from a theoretical standpoint and a good idea to ask before you acted, so you did alright. I'm still trying to hash out a similar idea about using a pickling jar for a fermenter. It might prove to be an ill-advised decision, but it's only a bad idea if I go through with it in spite of the red flags.

 

[passedpawn]

Great thinking! Outside the box for sure.

But yea, probably not a good idea for any part of brewing.

I have been keeping reefs for about 25 years, so believe me I've had similar thoughts. I even considered using yeast near the tank to produce CO2 in conjunction with crushed coral to add calcium to my tank. Another bad idea I'm sure.

 

[Randy_Bugger]

This reminds me of the time I wanted to convert a pig trough into a lambic coolship.

 

[passedpawn]

This reminds me of the time I wanted to convert a pig trough into a lambic coolship.

Bacon trap!

 

[Zuljin]

Isn't this how someone's grandpa did it in Russia?

 

[aiptasia]

Blind pig?

I have been keeping reefs for about 25 years, so believe me I've had similar thoughts. I even considered using yeast near the tank to produce CO2 in conjunction with crushed coral to add calcium to my tank. Another bad idea I'm sure.

That's a long CO2 line from the kegerator to the calcium reactor, dont'cha think?

 

[passedpawn]

Blind pig?



That's a long CO2 line from the kegerator to the calcium reactor, dont'cha think?

I was thinking about a fermentor bubbling into the reactor. Make beer and calcium at the same time. Sweet! (I have dosing pumps to push calc and alk and Mg to my tank now).