TikTok's eel pit guy on his chihuahua, internet fame, and life expectancy

Nick Tobler is a 25-year-old aquarium store manager in Kentucky.

More than 380,000 people follow his TikTok account and have kept up with Tobler's absolutely wild adventure of turning a rained out cistern into a 5,000 gallon pond.

We all watched with a mixture of curiosity, excitement, and fear as he filled the pond with 12 American edwards. The fans came up with names like Steely Dan and Mentally Eel. There is a crayfish in the pit.

We had a lot of questions. Tobler answered a lot of questions on the phone, from "are your eels in your will" to "Why haven't you introduced them to a dog?".

Mashable: Have you always liked eels? 

It's definitely true. I want American Eels. It's not a fish that's commonly kept or sold in stores like aquarium stores or anything, it's not something that's commonly kept or sold in forums. I wanted to catch one myself and take it home with me and keep it. I was impressed by the pit when I saw it.

Do people fish for eels? And capture them as pets?

I set out traps for a long time. I did it for a couple of weeks in the past. I have always been catching fish in my aquarium. One of the strangest fish you can find was that.

You said you were always sort of into them. How do you feel about eel representation in modern media? The only times I've ever seen them are as the henchmen and The Little Mermaid. 

They're really cool. I'm sure you've watched some of them. They make great pets in the aquarium. They are much more interactive than most fish because they will eat out of your hand. I've had fish where you can just pick them up, and they don't care at all. For most of the time, they're really relaxed.

Do you own any other pets? 

Yes, oh yes. I've got a lot of animals. The Caiman lizards are my favorite lizards. Indian star tortoises are currently being bred. There were three hatchlings yesterday.

Have any of these other pets met the eels? 

It is not possible to say yes. I'm ordering three of the biggest eels that the person I bought from will catch this season, which will be around three feet. I might take the two smallest edwards out of the pit and put them in my aquarium. Right now, I'm setting up a 500 gallon aquarium. The eels mix well with other fish.

Mostly just aquatic animals, then?

I thought about taking my dog down. It would be funny.

I would love to see that interaction. What's your chihuahua's name? 

There is cocoa

Do you know the frog army guy? 

I've seen a lot of videos. I haven't looked into it much.

I think the fans would love to see some sort of crossover.

I see a lot of that on the social networking site.

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Is it true that we don't know how eels reproduce? 

We have not seen it in the wild. They breed out a lot. They come from the rivers. They breed and die.

Will any of your eels reproduce? 

It is not possible to say yes. They won't reproduce if you keep them in a place where they can't migrate. They're going to live forever. The American elvers have reached 80. Europeans have a lifespan of 155 years.

What's your plan if they outlive you?

We are in it for the long haul. It all gets donated to a public aquarium in the worst case scenario. There is a demand for rare animals in zoos and other places.

Are you saying you have to put the eels in your will?

Outside of me and my brother, no one wants them.

Are there eel conservation efforts you're interested in? 

I would like, but not really. American edwards are protected in Florida but still used as bait in Maine. The New Zealand long fin is protected. They're the same family. The European collects the babies, farms them in Asia, and then ships them as food fish for sushi and other things. They are becoming less common because of that.

What are you going to do with the pit if you move?

I put the manhole cover back on and will not acknowledge it. When we arrived there, that was what it was. There was a pit at that location. Cinder blocks and gravel were added to my yard.

Did you expect all this TikTok fame? 

This isn't off of this. I think I do a lot of cool stuff. When I was in Cincinnati, I was always on the subway catching animals.

Does it change the way that you approach this eel project?

This was the plan from the beginning. I haven't made any changes there. People want to see more of my posts. I'm trying to get a post a day, but only if there is interest.

What kind of questions are you getting in your DMs? 

I would like to have plants. I want better lighting. It's just different things. It should be a cave for the first year. I'll upgrade the light and make it a swamp if I get paid from all this.

Is there a reason that it's so dark down there? 

Yes, oh yes. They prefer the dark, but I'm trying to teach them to swim in the dark.

Because you wanna be able to hang out with them?

It's true. I want to see them when I get there. I want to watch them swim.

How much does it cost to take care of the eels? 

It's really cheap. It is one of the cheapest animal setup I have. It was gravel, cinder blocks, and a filter and it was probably my biggest expense.

Are the eels themselves not particularly expensive? 

It is not possible to say yes. In Maine, they're still used as bait. These were cheap because they came from that location.

Do you have any tips for folks who want to have eels for themselves? 

It's time to do it. It's very simple. It is enjoyable. Aquariums are really cool.

The interview has been edited to make it clearer.