What. In Your Opinion. Is The Hardest Fish To Catch?

[Amunet]

Well...
I haven't personally tryed to catch it, but when we move and have to transfer all of the fish.. I have a feeling the hillstream loach is going to be the biggest pain in the butt to catch.

 

[dthoffsett]

They are all hard if the tank is full of water and you only have one net. I use the two net method and it works great. Simply herd them with one net right into the second one. Obviously, it still helps to lower the water level though.

Unfortunately that doesn't work when you have a lot of rockwork, believe me, I've tried it. I even tried the whole fish trap thing, but they caught on to that too. Damn smart fish.

 

[funkyhoney]

Out of everything at my work, I'd say either mbuna or CAE. Loaches are a bit of a pain to.

 

[cgbender]

Yeah I would have to agree these little buggers will go and hide just to fustrate you it feels or will slip past the hurder or target. The lfs had a hell of a time trying to get a spiny eel that jumped a couple tanks to go feed on guppys.

 

[the biffster]

any tankbuster they are a nightmare

 

[mark7616]

None of you have experienced a struggle trying to catch a fish until you try and catch fish in a tanks that when on top of its cabinet is 6ft height in the air. I have to get up a ladder then try to catch fish. CKF are quiet hard to catch as they can swim backwards and any large fish are hard to catch due to there immense power and trying to keep them from hurting them selves when lifting them out. But the hardest fish of all time to catch would have to be eels, last week I had to catch an 18" and a 14" eel in my 8ft and boy it took 2 hours. I had to split the tank down the middle with a large carp landing net and try to catch them pretty much mission impossible I was soaked by the end of it.

 

[caboose_122]

spiny eels are a pain to catch, so are most loaches, and plecos i always have a heck of a time getting them into nets

 

[the biffster]

None of you have experienced a struggle trying to catch a fish until you try and catch fish in a tanks that when on top of its cabinet is 6ft height in the air. I have to get up a ladder then try to catch fish. CKF are quiet hard to catch as they can swim backwards and any large fish are hard to catch due to there immense power and trying to keep them from hurting them selves when lifting them out. But the hardest fish of all time to catch would have to be eels, last week I had to catch an 18" and a 14" eel in my 8ft and boy it took 2 hours. I had to split the tank down the middle with a large carp landing net and try to catch them pretty much mission impossible I was soaked by the end of it.

i have in the past and yes it a nightmare fell of my ladder more than once i have been bitten spiked soaked and the rest

but its all good fun

 

[Truck]

GLASS catfish i have a dark background and there impossible to see and buggers to catch

 

[CathyGo]

Neon tetra when they were in a big tank with slower moving fish were a bother. And CAE were the most difficult to catch fish when I worked at PetSmart. We used a big net and still had trouble with them. Patience and luck were equally important to get both a CAE AND the right color one. Luckily after explaining that they got large and aggressive we didn't have to catch them often. Cichlids were also a challenge. I believe they are more intelligent versus the goldfish who would swim straight into the net. Catching oscars was fun using a 6 inch net when the fish is about 5 inches. We had to tell customers to stand back or get soaked in that brief period where they are half out of the water and I don't yet have my hand holding the net clamped around them so they can't hurt themselves or jump out.

 

[Azaezl]

I haven't found any fish hard to catch using the 2 net method, what I do find hard is shrimp and african dwarf frogs. The shrimp are hard to catch the frogs aren't fast just fiddly(you have to be careful as their legs are very delicate)The really annoying part with both is keeping them in the net for those few seconds whilst you lift them out. You literally have to catch them in the net and then pinch the net shut very very quickly or they are out again and if you fail to do that and just lift the net out more then likely you will have a shrimp / frog crawling up and out of the net.

 

[who-izzet]

I haven't found any fish hard to catch using the 2 net method, what I do find hard is shrimp and african dwarf frogs. The shrimp are hard to catch the frogs aren't fast just fiddly(you have to be careful as their legs are very delicate)The really annoying part with both is keeping them in the net for those few seconds whilst you lift them out. You literally have to catch them in the net and then pinch the net shut very very quickly or they are out again and if you fail to do that and just lift the net out more then likely you will have a shrimp / frog crawling up and out of the net.

I use the two net method as well and it makes life alot easier but like a few have mentioned the Chinese Algae Loach is a nightmare and will still evade the net. Pakistan loaches are hardwork too, they was always the last fish I would catch when moving tank!

 

[Straydum]

well technically if you remove all the deco and all it shouldnt really be a problem. if not, raphaels and khulis

 

[cheesy feet]

I recently did a large tank change and had to remove many fish and was wondering what other people thought were the hardest fish they have had experience catching? IMO the Chinese Algae Eaters were impossible to catch (so hard they r still in the old tank).

So what do you guys think are the hardest fish to catch?

Agreed, I've had to catch every single fish I have but the CAE's are just too hard

 

[Nim]

Been trying to catch a damsel for the past 3 hours to return to the fish store in a saltwater tank with plenty of live rock. Tried 3 nets with 2 people and now trying with a jug hoping it will go in

Never had so much trouble catching anything from red tailed sharks or sae in heavily planted tanks of african cichlids in rock work.

Nim