dunn,
It is really difficult situation, dunn.
My case was similar to you, and egg-laying happened last week. Both parents protect their eggs in a secret place (deep inside lot of plants). I found them and their eggs after one day they disappeared, but unfortunately other fishes also found them and try to rob their eggs.
I removed the eggs eventually out of the plant tank but the male parent fish dead at one day after this (maybe due to sadness of losing eggs).
I have some baby fishes now but losed the male parent fish, so DON’T try to separate the parent fishes and their eggs. If possible, removing other fishes from the fish tank temporarily maybe the only way to have a happy ending. I think neither keeping lighting on nor off increases the chance of keeping the eggs in present of other fishes.
Good Luck!
YKK