when i learned to make compost tea, the formula was a shovel full of compost in a 5 gallon bucket of water. then you were supposed to aerate the bucket for a couple of days with something like an aquarium air pump. i've been doing it that way for years and it makes very effective tea. yesterday at a garden show, a guy asked me why i did that and that his tea was made without aeration and it did just fine. i always thought it had something to do with microbe growth, but the truth is, i do it because that's the way i learned. any thoughts on the pros/cons of aerating compost tea before use?