Step-by-step
Step 1: Set up culture jar16-32 oz mason jar. Fill 2/3 with apple cider vinegar (with mother) + 1/3 with dechlorinated water. Add a slice of apple for nutrients.
Step 2: InoculateAdd 1-2 oz of vinegar eel starter culture. Cap with coffee filter (allows air, blocks fruit flies).
Step 3: Wait 14-21 days for boomEels reproduce on apple decay. Population builds gradually. Visible swimming in column after 2-3 weeks.
Step 4: Harvest using salt-water trapIn a smaller jar: place a small portion of the culture, cap with cotton, fill the top with fresh water. Eels swim up through cotton into clean water (away from vinegar smell). Use a pipette to extract.
Step 5: Feed to fryFry will eat eels happily. 1-2 drops per spawn. Fry should chase eels visibly within seconds.
Step 6: Maintain culture indefinitelyReplace apple slice when it fully decomposes (every 2-3 months). Replace 25% of the vinegar with fresh ACV every 6 months.