How to reduce my bristlenose fries

[professorjimjam]

I have the fluva flex 32.5 gallon and the bristlenose made babies and now they many of them pass through the filter area down in the photo and go the area where the tank pump is and that area is very small and I cannot reduce them form there, becuase they are fast when I try to catch them and also I cannot put food for them there, becuase that area is for water pump and is not for putting food as it cannot be cleaned won’t siphon.

any idea how to help these little fries right now there are 16 of them stuck there, I doubt if they are able to go back to the main tank by themselves. I kinda mad at them that they have put themselves in this situation and created anxiety for me as I am struggling to help them.
Any advice is appreciated

thanks here are photos

 

[Midwater]

I assume they want to get away from that puffer that is in there.

 

[professorjimjam]

the puffers are even more peaceful than the guppies, I am forcing the puffers to eat, all kind of special food for them and they are so picky that do not bother to attack anything, there are shrimps, guppies, and many of Ramshorn Snails which i specifically put for the puffers to eat, i had to remove them as they built colonies and the tank became full of Ramshorn Snails and puffer did not bother to eat them, I have frozen freshwater musslels for them which they like and that is the only thing they want to eat. so perhaps you are right, they might be affraid of puffers, but puffers do not bother to look at them, but in the past I had the black version of these bristlenoses and they never went in that area, only these snowwhites are stupid to go and get stuck in that area.

 

[phreeflow]

Yeah, my group of Congo puffers never bothered anything. You can try siphoning out the fry with a hose and a bucket. Then put mesh on the overflow to prevent them from going there. Or just put them into another tank