Nick Tobler
Nick Tobler (born November 1996) is an American TikToker best known for raising eels and other fish in his house's cistern.
Biography
[edit]Tobler grew up in Erlanger, Kentucky.[1] As a child, he was known to catch snakes, frogs, and toads, and bring them home.[2][3] He enjoyed playing Animal Crossing and Pokémon.[3][4] Later, as a student, he worked for PetSmart and a local pet store.[3]
He graduated from Northern Kentucky University in 2021,[1] and has worked as an aquarium store manager.[1][2]
Tobler and his brother moved into a new house in Taylor Mill,[1] which was built by Tobler's grandfather,[5] in March 2022.[2]
Tobler has owned both scorpions and tarantulas in the past.[5] In 2022, he owned a black widow,[3] "fifteen tortoises, several lizards, and fish,"[2] including a lungfish.[1] He and his brother breed Indian Star tortoises.[3]
Online presence
[edit]Tobler had been posting videos about aquatic animals to YouTube since the early 2010s, when he was in 8th grade.[2] He started a TikTok account in 2021.[6]
In March 2022, Tobler began posting on TikTok about his attempts to turn the cistern under his 1958 home's garage into an "eel pit".[5] The 288-ft cistern had originally been used to collect rainwater, but had become obsolete when the house became connected to the city's water supply.[2][5] A week after posting his first video on the project, his followers had jumped from 200 to more than 100,000.[3][7]
Tobler installed artificial lights, air pumps, and water filter into the cistern, and introduced goldfish, a catfish, and two crayfish into the water.[5]
He had 200,000 followers by May 2023.[4] By mid-June 2023, when Tobler finally introduced eleven American eels to the enclosure,[5] he had gained more than 350,000 followers.[2] The eels were given names taken from TikTok users' comments.[3]
Further additions to the eel pit have included sturgeon and gar.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e DeLetter, Emily. "Heard of the eel pit guy on TikTok? He's from Taylor Mill and we saw the pit for ourselves". The Enquirer. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
- ^ a b c d e f g Phan Nay, Isaac (2022-06-16). "Why this 'eel daddy' TikToker built an eel pit inside his home". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
- ^ a b c d e f g Mitten, Kane (2022-07-25). "Nick Tobler's Eel Pit Earns TikTok's Eel of Approval". Cincinnati Magazine. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
- ^ a b Dickson, Ej (2022-05-13). "Why Is the 'Eel Daddy' Building a Pit of Eels In His Basement?". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
- ^ a b c d e f Fowler, Kate (2022-06-16). "Man Converts Dark Cistern Under Garage Into 'Eel Pit' As Internet Watches". Newsweek. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
- ^ Tenreyro, Tatiana (2022-06-15). "TikTok's Highly Anticipated Eel Pit Is Finally Revealed". MEL Magazine. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
- ^ Kirklen, Ashley (2022-06-29). "NKY man builds eel pit in home drawing in millions of followers on TikTok". WLWT. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
- ^ Barnes, Sara (2023-05-03). "Man Transforms Unused Cistern Into an Underground Eel Pit Below His Home". My Modern Met. Retrieved 2024-01-06.