Live Vinegar Eels Culture Kit

Vinegar Eel Starter Kit Instructions

Congratulations on your new Vinegar Eel Starter Kit! Follow these instructions to set up and maintain your culture successfully.

What’s Included:

• 5oz bottle containing apple cider vinegar and vinegar eels

• Cotton

• Syringe

What You Will Need:

• A long-neck bottle

• Apple cider vinegar (unfiltered)

• Dechlorinated water or fish tank water

• A small amount of oatmeal or apple slices (optional, for feeding)

Setting Up Your Vinegar Eel Culture

1. Prepare Your Bottle:

• Select a clean long-neck bottle. This design helps separate the vinegar eels when needed.

2. Create the Medium:

• Add a mixture of 50% unfiltered apple cider vinegar and 50% dechlorinated water to your bottle. Fill the bottle until it’s about an inch below the neck.

3. Introduce the Vinegar Eels:

• Open the 5oz bottle from your starter kit.

• Shake the bottle gently to mix the vinegar eels.

• Pour the contents into the prepared long-neck bottle.

4. Insert the Cotton:

• Insert the cotton provided into the neck of the bottle, about an inch or so down. This will help separate the vinegar eels from the culture when harvesting.

5. Top Off the Bottle:

• Add about an inch of dechlorinated water or fish tank water above the cotton. This layer helps you harvest vinegar eels easily without transferring the culture medium.

6. Set Up the 5oz Bottle (Optional):

• If you prefer, you can set up the 5oz bottle directly as a culture vessel. Insert the cotton into the neck of the 5oz bottle and top it off with about an inch of dechlorinated water or fish tank water. You can then harvest vinegar eels directly from this bottle using the syringe.

7. Add Feeding Material (Optional):

• If desired, add a small piece of apple or a pinch of oatmeal to provide additional nutrients for the vinegar eels.

Harvesting Vinegar Eels

1. Using the Syringe:

• When ready to feed your aquatic pets, use the provided syringe to extract vinegar eels from the layer of water above the cotton.

• This ensures that no vinegar solution is transferred to your pet’s tank.

2. Separating Eels from the Medium:

• If necessary, pour a small amount of the culture through a fine mesh or coffee filter into a second container.

• Rinse the collected vinegar eels with dechlorinated water before adding them to your pet’s tank.

Maintaining Your Culture

1. Refresh the Medium:

• Every 2-4 weeks, pour off half the liquid below the cotton and replace it with fresh 50/50 apple cider vinegar and dechlorinated water.

2. Remove Excess Debris:

• Discard uneaten apple slices or oatmeal to prevent mold growth.

3. Check the Culture:

• Healthy vinegar eels will keep the liquid slightly cloudy and active. If the culture smells foul or stops producing eels, start a new culture using part of the old one as a seed.