changing water with shrimpets

[xrayguy]

just as the title suggests.   I just got my first batch of babies in my shrimp only tank.  I have sand substrate.  Normally I just stir up the bottom a bit with a finger and suck up a bit of the goo with my hose, but now I'm afraid I might get a bambino.

I've got a fluval flex 9 for a tank, and I have a bit of filter floss in the outlets to try and prevent shrimpets from escaping the tank into the filter area.

Any suggestions?

[Crabby]

I'll be honest - I don't do gravel vacs in any tanks with fry. Whether it's my apistogramma fry who literally swim into the tube, or my ender babies who are just everywhere, or invisible shrimplets. I just stick the hose into a corner and wave my fingers in front of it to keep everyone away. I don't seem to be any worse off for it. And it doesn't really look that bad either. I just can't think of a way to safely do a gravel vac with shrimplets. I've tried putting fine mesh in front of the hose, but the fry or shrimplets get sucked into the mesh and it can injure them, and really stress them out. Interested to hear if there are any good suggestions though. Good question!

[sdlTBfanUK]

I never vacuum vac any tanks with shrimps only, shrimps don't really need it in the way fish do as fish are very much messier! Anything that stops tiny shrimplets from getting sucked up will also stock the muck getting sucked up?

If you want to continue with the vacuum then do it into a white container and leave it to settle so you can see after that whether there are any shrimps?

I would probably stop vacuuming and maybe get a snail or 2 instead, that will add another interest point to the tank? 

Simon