Help I accidentally bred my firebellys

I got 3 firebellys about a year ago. Sadly one died, but the other two are very happy. I was concerned for a while that one was a much better hunter than the other because it got very fat, so I changed up feeding so there wasn't so much competition between them. However in cleaning the tank today I noticed BABIES so the fat one must have been full of eggs!

They look like miniatures of the adults but with frilly gills and the biggest is 3/4 inch long nose to tail tip. I have no idea how many there are because the substrate is large gravel from a local river (maybe 1 inch diameter) and the little ones can crawl deep down between to hide. They poke their little heads up sometimes and I've only seen 3 at once.

Questions:
Do I really need to separate the adults and babies? I'm not sure about setting up another tank $ wise. I don't know how to move babies without crushing them.

How to feed them? Today I got frozen brine shrimp and chopped blood worms I tried using a turkey baster to get it in the rocks but don't know if they eat. There seems to be lots of flies and worms in the tank, either from food or because I barely washed the substrate from the river. I think they eat those and leftovers the adults can't reach.

What do I do if they make it to morphing & how will I know? Now that I've done some research here I think the one that died originally wasn't done its terrestrial phase. It sat out of the water until it almost dried up, then dove in and drowned. I think my tank is too aquatic for raising them.

We took the eggs out of the tank as soon as they were noticed. You don't really need a tank - I used a shallow lunch box with loads of live daphnia. When their legs are fully formed, but them in a ventilated container with a lid ready for morphing, they can morph between the ages of 3 months - 6 months. Make sure there's something they can climb out onto. You can usually tell when they are close to morphing because they start obsessively hanging around by the surface and the gills start to shrink.

To move the babies, it's probably best to scoop them out with a small cup or something similar

Thanks Angie!

The ones I've seen have little legs. I do have a tiny plastic tank I can use. I'm really worried about moving them though because there's no way I can reach them. They crawl between the rocks and I'm scared to dig around and risk crushing them. I'm thinking this substrate was kind of a bad idea now.

Is the only reason you move them is so adults don't eat them? I'm thinking in my case by the time they're big enough to move they're too big to be edible.

I would recommend leaving the babies in there. Try to get live blackworms (sometimes mis-named bloodworms) if you can. When you say chopped bloodworms, do you mean frozen bloodworms or live? In either case, be careful not to overfeed, you don't want to muck up the tank water.

Be sure the tank has some land area. When they are ready to morph they will climb out on land. Be sure every tiny crack in the lid of the tank is sealed or they will climb right out. After they are on land, you can take them out and set up a storage tub as a terrestrial habitat for them.

Oooo storage tub, that's a really good idea.

I'm using frozen bloodworms that I chop up and frozen brine shrimp that are labeled as good for baby fish, but honestly I think they get most of their food from slime in between the rocks which is partly why don't want to move them until they morph. My tank is pretty nasty (from a human point of view, apparently not newt) there's like fruit flies hatching in there and worm tracks on the wall.

I'll definitely ask pet shops in the area if they have live stuff as well, daphnia and bloodworms, right?

The biggest baby is hanging out on the log that slopes up into the air, so I'll start looking at all the terrestrial tank ideas here.

Those types of tanks are the best for supporting unnoticed larvae. After all, they've already got their back legs, so there must be some food in there.

If I were you, I'd just throw in a handful of daphnia and live white/black/blood worms from time to time. Like Jen said, don't add too much!

Having dense areas of vegetation and keeping the adults well fed is a good idea. It´s not uncommon for larvae of this species to thrive alongside the adults. Some adults are rather aggressive, but most will completely ignore larvae, specially grown ones. The biggest issue is metamorphosis, as the youngsters may easily drown if land is not extremely easy to access or there are open areas of water (they are terrible swimmers).

Ok, I have a lot of open water, so to make the tank more baby friendly I'll decrease the water level, add a bunch of plastic plants and maybe some moss to the land part so its not so dry and hard to climb.

The babies seem to stay in one corner mostly, so I'll feed the adults in the opposite corner, and up the amount a little. I just set up a brine shrimp hatchery thing since I don't know where to get live stuff around here. For daphnia do you actually skim ponds or are they common at pet stores?

I guess more frequent small water changes are needed since I'll be feeding more, and you guys really seem to stress clean water.

Thanks so much for all the advice everyone, I don't think its too likely they'll survive but I'm trying and I guess I'll see at metamorphosis!

I wouln´t recommend lowering the water level. The larger the volume of water, the more stable and easier to maintain in proper condition. More frequent water changes could be a problem with larvae. They do better in stable conditions.
Rather than plastic plants, i would strongly recommend live plants for a number of reasons. First, they actively contribute to biological filtration. Second, they will carry microfauna that the larvae will relish. Third, they´ll grow! xD And with luck they´ll form thick masses of vegetation which is ideal for this species.
You could get Daphnia and other relatives from ponds, but you might also get lucky and find them at shops. There is also the option of buying them online, both live and as resting eggs (ephippia). You can culture them indoors or outdoors with little effort. They are an excellent option because they are fresh-water, unlike artemia which will eventually die in your tank.

If you post a picture of your tank we might be able to suggest better advice. They don´t really need a land area, a floating piece of cork bark will sufice.
Good luck!