Tropical fish tank heater

[Gruesome]

Ok, I had an idea and I expect it's a silly one but here goes. My fermenting brew is in my shed and I try to keep the temp constant by having the heater on. It's relatively expensive to heat the whole shed so I thought about more 'localised' heat such as a tropical fishtank heater directly in the wort (sterilised, naturally). Is this an option which has been tried before and does it/could it work? Eagerly awaiting replies...

[Talisman]

Thats fine mate. Has always worked for me.

[Gruesome]

Thanks. I'll get it down from the loft and clean it up then!

[CyberPaddy66]

Make sure you clean it thoroughly, I used one when I first started brewing and had 2 batches of vinegar because I couldn't clean it properly... put me off brewing for 20 years!

If you can find a bigger bucket then you could place your fermenting bucket in some water and heat the water with your fish tank heater = no need to sterilise also if it gets too hot the water should radiate off some of the heat

[Gruesome]

All cleaned, sterile and installed. I used the original suckers to mount it on the inside of the bin after sterilising my hand and rinsing well before putting it into the brew! I will leave the main heater on until tomorrow then check the temperature via a thermometer which is dangling permanently in the wort. I aim to get it between 18 and 21 degrees (as suggested). It doesn't have long to go now before transferring to the pressure barrel as I started it last Sunday but if it works ok, I will employ this method of heating for the next brew. I decided to put an insulating layer of foam under the fermenting bin for good measure.