I've always found this breeding strategy to be fascinating: it starts out as if they were typical substrate spawners, then transitions to buccal care of the young just like
bona fide mouthbrooders. As it's clear that mouthbrooding is the more advanced breeding strategy, this probably represents an intermediate stage during the evolutionary transition from substrate spawning to mouthbrooding. It's also interesting that the brood size is small for a typical substrate spawner, but large for a typical mouthbrooder; again supporting the idea of an intermediate stage. It's not often in biology that we get to see these kinds of 'missing links.'
Back to more practical matters; why do you want to move them? It's always risky to move fishes that are mouthbrooding, especially if that are not experienced. I see you've got rainbow juvies as dithers (of course); why not move them, even if it's just a few at a time? And/or install a tank divider? Good luck; these are gorgeous and interesting fishes.
