Culturing Vinegar Eels

Discussion in 'General Fish Discussions' started by TheGrissom, May 29, 2020.

  1. TheGrissom

    TheGrissom

    Joined:
    Apr 5, 2012
    Messages:
    2,232
    Likes Received:
    1,539
    Location:
    Gqeberha
    Hi all,

    I figured I would post a write up on how to culture vinegar eels since I managed to obtain some and my breeding success rate has gone from about 20 % to 95 % since obtaining them.

    Vinegar eels are a good source of initial fry food for fry that are too small to take any other foods. The fry are typically from egg scattering fish, particularly the nano species

    Apparatus:
    • A starter culture of vinegar eels
    • A container to culture the eels in (A Douw Egberts coffee bottle works well)
    • Apple cidar vinegar containing the mother
    • Chlorine free water (aquarium water works)
    • An apple
    • An empty bottle with a long neck (Corona bottles work well)
    • Filter floss
    • A syringe
    • Air line tubing
    • Paper toweling

    Methodology:
    1. Cut the apple into quarters and all these to the container.
    2. Shake the apple cider vinegar bottle to mix well. Then prepare a 1:1 ratio of apple cidar vinegar : water and add to the container.
    3. Allow to stand for a day or 2, covered with the paper towel.
    4. Add the vinegar eel starter culture.
    In a month you should have a whole jar full of vinegar eels.

    Harvesting:
    1. Decant the solution in the culture container into a bottle, filling up to the neck of the bottle.
    2. Add filter floss to until it just touches the solution.
    3. Fill the neck up with water.
    4. Leave for a few hours. The eels will move from the vinegar solution into the water as they are after the oxygen.
    5. Put the airline tubing onto the end of the syringe.
    6. Place the end of the tubing into the neck of the bottle and withdraw some water containing vinegar eels.
    7. Empty the syringe into the fry tank and watch the fry go after the eels.
    8. After multiple feedings the amount of eels in the water in the neck of the bottle will decrease. When this occurs pour the solution back into the culture container and repeat from step 1 using a new culture.
    It really is that easy. A culture will last months before needing to be re-cultured. It is recommended that multiple cultures are made as this allows for a rotation of cultures when feed fry allowing the recently harvested cultures to recover.

    Hope this helps everyone who is interested in breeding and I wish you all the success that I have had.
     
  2. Guest




  3. OP
    TheGrissom

    TheGrissom

    Joined:
    Apr 5, 2012
    Messages:
    2,232
    Likes Received:
    1,539
    Location:
    Gqeberha
    I will post pics of my culture setups over the course of the weekend as I believe a picture always helps clarify instructions.
     
    ZubairKhan and A new day like this.
  4. A new day

    A new day Moderator

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2019
    Messages:
    6,986
    Likes Received:
    5,956
    Location:
    Cape Town
    Thanks a mil for sharing not only the info but also selling the culture and enabling others to achieve better breeding success!

    You mentioned elsewhere that Dischem vinager works well. My sister in law also gave me homemade apple cider vinager she made from scratch, I would imagine that this would contain the mother?

    Looking forward to the photos, will help to clarify the filter floss & water part.
     
    ZubairKhan likes this.
  5. OP
    TheGrissom

    TheGrissom

    Joined:
    Apr 5, 2012
    Messages:
    2,232
    Likes Received:
    1,539
    Location:
    Gqeberha
    Yes, this will work.

    Can you suggest a photohosting site? I see photobucket no longer does it.
     
    A new day likes this.
  6. A new day

    A new day Moderator

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2019
    Messages:
    6,986
    Likes Received:
    5,956
    Location:
    Cape Town
    I’m clueless with that type of thing. @Zebra Pleco ?
     
  7. OP
    TheGrissom

    TheGrissom

    Joined:
    Apr 5, 2012
    Messages:
    2,232
    Likes Received:
    1,539
    Location:
    Gqeberha
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/91YDwWJNAZzVYy5f7

    Pic shows the Corona bottle filled with vinegar and water with the filter floss in between as well as a Douw Egbert Jar that is half full and contains some apple pieces
     
    ZubairKhan and A new day like this.
  8. A new day

    A new day Moderator

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2019
    Messages:
    6,986
    Likes Received:
    5,956
    Location:
    Cape Town
    No need to keep it either in the light or in darkness?
     
  9. OP
    TheGrissom

    TheGrissom

    Joined:
    Apr 5, 2012
    Messages:
    2,232
    Likes Received:
    1,539
    Location:
    Gqeberha
    No. My cultures are on a shelf in my garage and the ones that I am harvesting are on my work bench
     
    A new day likes this.
  10. A new day

    A new day Moderator

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2019
    Messages:
    6,986
    Likes Received:
    5,956
    Location:
    Cape Town
    So temp is not really a consideration either then?
     
  11. OP
    TheGrissom

    TheGrissom

    Joined:
    Apr 5, 2012
    Messages:
    2,232
    Likes Received:
    1,539
    Location:
    Gqeberha
    No as far as I can tell. Mine are at room temp
     
    A new day likes this.
  12. A new day

    A new day Moderator

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2019
    Messages:
    6,986
    Likes Received:
    5,956
    Location:
    Cape Town
    Cool, thanks Brenton
     
  13. A new day

    A new day Moderator

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2019
    Messages:
    6,986
    Likes Received:
    5,956
    Location:
    Cape Town
    If anyone else wants to buy a vinager eel culture from @TheGrissom please contact and pay him asap today during working hours so that he doesn’t have to do multiple trips to Postnet.

    At R50 a culture plus R99 postage he is honestly simply doing us a favour here!

    I’ll be getting my concoction ready in the interim :thumbup:
     
  14. OP
    TheGrissom

    TheGrissom

    Joined:
    Apr 5, 2012
    Messages:
    2,232
    Likes Received:
    1,539
    Location:
    Gqeberha
    Its actually too late for today - I have them in my car. I will just check that they are still alive and well before I pop by Postnet on my way home. They should be - they are super hardy. If anyone else wants they can contact me via pm, I will wait a week in order to ensure everyone has sufficient time to place an order and then do one trip to Postnet next week.

    I always have cultures going so sending a starter culture isnt a big deal. Just for comparision on ebay its over R200 inc. shipping. From me its R150 inc. shipping. And then its a few days vs a few months in the post.
     
    ZubairKhan and A new day like this.
  15. A new day

    A new day Moderator

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2019
    Messages:
    6,986
    Likes Received:
    5,956
    Location:
    Cape Town
    The apple floats but suppose it will settle?

    A1064B41-72C4-48E9-9C9D-04AFEB4FB191.jpeg
     
    ZubairKhan likes this.
  16. ZubairKhan

    ZubairKhan

    Joined:
    Apr 15, 2020
    Messages:
    136
    Likes Received:
    103
    Location:
    Cape Town
    Mine are in the same batch
     
    A new day likes this.
  17. OP
    TheGrissom

    TheGrissom

    Joined:
    Apr 5, 2012
    Messages:
    2,232
    Likes Received:
    1,539
    Location:
    Gqeberha
    Yes it will sink after a few days. I dont recall exactly when but it does happen.
     
    A new day likes this.
  18. OP
    TheGrissom

    TheGrissom

    Joined:
    Apr 5, 2012
    Messages:
    2,232
    Likes Received:
    1,539
    Location:
    Gqeberha
    Just something I forgot to mention in my instructions above - ideally when you want to harvest the eels you would like a bottle with a long neck. This allows more water to be put into the bottle which results in more feedings before you need to replace the water. I typically get about 5 feedings out of the neck before I top up with more water, leave it overnight and then I can get another 5 or so feedings before I repeat the process. I repeat this as many times as I can until I notice that the amount of eels in the neck has diminished quite drastically, at which point I empty the bottle back into the culture and refill the bottle with another culture. Holding a light behind the bottle helps to see the eels. Often it looks like the water is empty but as soon as a light is shone on it you can actually see hundreds in the bottle neck.
     
    A new day likes this.
  19. A new day

    A new day Moderator

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2019
    Messages:
    6,986
    Likes Received:
    5,956
    Location:
    Cape Town
    Brilliant thanks :thumbup:
     
  20. ZubairKhan

    ZubairKhan

    Joined:
    Apr 15, 2020
    Messages:
    136
    Likes Received:
    103
    Location:
    Cape Town
    IMG_20200603_182324.jpg

    The best part, i bought the coffee for the container
     
    TheGrissom and A new day like this.
  21. A new day

    A new day Moderator

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2019
    Messages:
    6,986
    Likes Received:
    5,956
    Location:
    Cape Town
    :lol::thumbup:
     

Recent Posts

Loading...
Similar Threads - Culturing Vinegar Eels Forum Date
Wanted: Culturing Live Foods by Michael R. Hellweg Wanted/Swop/Freebies Nov 25, 2021
Culturing Infusoria - What worked for me Breeding Nov 9, 2020
Culturing Infusoria Breeding May 25, 2020
Culturing your own live foods..... General Discussions Aug 24, 2013
Culturing Infusoria for your fry... (esp bettas).... General Discussions Aug 24, 2013
Culturing Daphnia General Discussions Aug 1, 2010
Culturing whiteworms Anything DIY related Jan 23, 2010

Share This Page