This Man Created an Underground Eel Pit in His Home
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When it's time to remodel, there are some big-impact rooms people generally think of renovating first. The basement reno is a big one, or maybe you're thinking about modernizing your dated ensuite. But we have a soft spot in our hearts for homeowners who take a scarcely used room and transform it into something wholly unique. TikTok user @cowturtle one-upped basically every other handy homeowner we know—except maybe the woman who's digging secret tunnels beneath her home—by transforming the unused rainwater cistern beneath his garage into...an eel pit.
If you're a bit confused on what that exactly means, it's basically what it sounds like: The man behind the account, Nick Tobler, created a water-filled pit to make a happy home for eels—right beneath his own happy home. Since March of 2022, when Tobler posted his first video to the playlist on his TikTok account titled "Underground eel pond," he has been documenting each step of turning the cistern into what it is today, which is essentially a safe haven for American eels and other freshwater fish.
It definitely took some planning on Tobler's part. From when he first revealed the pit on TikTok to when he finally added the eels, it took about three months to perfect the pond, which included some serious filtration upgrades to the cistern. He couldn't just fill the cistern with some water and throw the eels in—one look at the TikTok user's account makes it clear he has a passion for aquatic life, and a quick fix wouldn't do. According to his LinkedIn, Tobler has worked at a few aquatics stores over the years, and he clearly cares about the well-being of his water creatures and their habitat. Before introducing the main stars to the pit, he added in other freshwater creatures, including water striders, crayfish, and mosquitofish, to create a diverse private aquarium. He even added a cinderblock pathway and island in the shallow water so he could hang out with the slippery creatures.
Each of the videos in his playlist has at least over 100k views, with some videos reaching over 11 million. When Tobler finally added in the eels, the fans who had been following his journey celebrated in his comment section. One person wrote, "THEY ARE HERE," and another, "I feel like I've waited a lifetime for this moment."
While Tobler's eel pit falls into one of our favorite social media genres—people with weird things under their homes (like, say, the woman who found a hidden pool, the man who found an ancient city, and the person who unearthed a sunken living room), his posts are ongoing and interactive. Tobler often posts about his adventures with his eels and the other freshwater creatures in the pond. Relatively recently, he went snorkeling in the cistern, taking his TikTok audience with him, who are still just as fond of his eel content as they were at the start. You might even say they find it electrifying.
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