How do I get fry out of a very intricate display

[Hybridfish7]

My nanolutea tank is a 20 tall. There are lots of sticks, big pieces of wood and the top half is covered in hornwort. I don't want to mess up the display but there are somewhere between 30-50 half inch nanolutea swimming around in there, and I can tell the pair is getting ready to spawn again. What is the least destructive way of getting them out? I've tried traps but they're too smart (or cautious) for that. I may try again but in the meantime I'm not sure what to do. I don't have any pipes wide enough to siphon them out.

 

[Rocksor]

One tip I've found on stopping the parents from spawning again is to stop feeding the parents for long periods of time . Just feed enough for them to survive like once a week, never until full. Flakes seem to work best seem the nutritional density is much lower than pellets

what type of traps have you tried?

 

[Hybridfish7]

No I want them to spawn, that's why I'm trying to get the fry out
I've tried bottle traps, miniaturized cage traps, I've tried getting them to swim over a cup with holes stabbed in it, I've tried getting them to swim in a net full of food (most successful but slow, as in a rate of 1 juvie a day)
I've tried netting but I barely get any, only the ones that get stuck in the hornwort at the top

 

[tlindsey]

No I want them to spawn, that's why I'm trying to get the fry out
I've tried bottle traps, miniaturized cage traps, I've tried getting them to swim over a cup with holes stabbed in it, I've tried getting them to swim in a net full of food (most successful but slow, as in a rate of 1 juvie a day)
I've tried netting but I barely get any, only the ones that get stuck in the hornwort at the top

Have you tried using a sterile hose to remove fry?

 

[duanes]

Have you tried using a sterile hose to remove fry?

I agree, siphoning free swimming fry is the easiest and least destructive way of removing fry.

 

[Hybridfish7]

Well turns out I underestimated the relationship of my nanolutea pair, they just spawned with all their few months old fry in the tank, none are being attacked

 

[TheWolfman]

Syphon is the way to do it.

 

[Rass]

I use regular airline tubing if the fry are small enough. Pulls them out very well without blasting them out in a really fast current.

 

[Hybridfish7]

I use regular airline tubing if the fry are small enough. Pulls them out very well without blasting them out in a really fast current.

I do too, only thing is these are almost an inch long and half an inch tall

 

[Rass]

I do too, only thing is these are almost an inch long and half an inch tall

Oh I see. Well in that case, I find that with fast and difficult to catch fish the best way is to lure them to one end of the tank with food and then use a properly fit divider to sort of corral them to one side of the tank. Then you can move the divider more to give them less and less space to elude a net. Dovii are insane to catch out of a bigger tank with a net once they reach a certain age. This is the only method I've found to make it relatively easy. You just have to watch for jumpers after they are in a narrow section of tank. Even if you dont get them into the divided section all at once you can net some out, pull the divider out, chase the rest into that end of the tank and reinsert the divider to repeat the process until you have them all out.