is it ok to darken the aquarium for 3-4 days??
i am a little concerned about the fish. can the fish survive this??
the reason for this, is that i have some algae problems, and i have read that the darkning can kill the algae.. (i dont know the english word for the algae..)
PLEASE HELP!!
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akvahenrik
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MatsP
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Ok, so I've "voted" on this, but I think it requires a bit more commentary than the "Yes"...
First of all, most aquarium lights are for the benefit of the owner, not the fish. There are very few (tropical freshwater) fish that require strong lighting to be happy and healthy.
However, you do want some sense or day and night for the health of the fish, and a day (or night) should preferrably be around 12 hours, give or take a bit. Anything much more (or less) will confuse the fish and make them feel awkward. However, the sun does this quite well as long as there's outside light available in the room where the tank is - even if the outside light is at the opposite end of the room with lots of stuff in between.
In many places, the rivers where these fish live are overshadowed by dense vegetation (rainforest), and it's not at all certain to be "light" in the tank. Nor is the water commonly clear - it can be coffee-with-a-bit-of-milk colour too just as likely as white (as in half-milk-and-water) or clear.
So, yes, the fish will be fine with dimmed or nearly no light, as long as they get some sense of day/night.
Finally, if you "kill" the algae all of a sudden, you should be aware that this may cause all sorts of problems with the now dead algae breaking down in the tank. I would probably prefer to have a slower process where the algae is dying off slowly. Perhaps you can REDUCE the number of hours your lights are on - even turning them off for a couple of hours at midday may well help here - especially if there is decent sunlight in the room where the tank is - and of course, if the tank is placed in DIRECT sunlight, you should try to place it somewhere the sun doesn't shine as much... [Sorry, that doesn't sound very good - but read it as I mean it, not as it can be misunderstood!]
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Mats
First of all, most aquarium lights are for the benefit of the owner, not the fish. There are very few (tropical freshwater) fish that require strong lighting to be happy and healthy.
However, you do want some sense or day and night for the health of the fish, and a day (or night) should preferrably be around 12 hours, give or take a bit. Anything much more (or less) will confuse the fish and make them feel awkward. However, the sun does this quite well as long as there's outside light available in the room where the tank is - even if the outside light is at the opposite end of the room with lots of stuff in between.
In many places, the rivers where these fish live are overshadowed by dense vegetation (rainforest), and it's not at all certain to be "light" in the tank. Nor is the water commonly clear - it can be coffee-with-a-bit-of-milk colour too just as likely as white (as in half-milk-and-water) or clear.
So, yes, the fish will be fine with dimmed or nearly no light, as long as they get some sense of day/night.
Finally, if you "kill" the algae all of a sudden, you should be aware that this may cause all sorts of problems with the now dead algae breaking down in the tank. I would probably prefer to have a slower process where the algae is dying off slowly. Perhaps you can REDUCE the number of hours your lights are on - even turning them off for a couple of hours at midday may well help here - especially if there is decent sunlight in the room where the tank is - and of course, if the tank is placed in DIRECT sunlight, you should try to place it somewhere the sun doesn't shine as much... [Sorry, that doesn't sound very good - but read it as I mean it, not as it can be misunderstood!]
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Mats
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snowball
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heh Mats I think I will have to use that line 
Customer: "my tank is green!"
Me: "Sir, may I suggest this bottle of algae killer for $12.99"
Customer: "That's too expensive"
Me: "Well then, you could always stick it where the sun don't shine!"
Seriously though, the fish will be fine in the dark but, as Mats says, a reduction in the photoperiod may be a less drastic way to acheive the same result. If the light is on for 12 hrs, try 10 or even 8hrs. Also, if you are out at work most of the day there is no need for the light to be on when you aren't there. If you want the tank to be lit late at night, try having the light come on in the afternoon. And if you don't have a light timer, get one!
btw what sort of algae are you trying to get rid of? The blackout method really only works well for green water and may not have much effect on attached algae.
Customer: "my tank is green!"
Me: "Sir, may I suggest this bottle of algae killer for $12.99"
Customer: "That's too expensive"
Me: "Well then, you could always stick it where the sun don't shine!"
Seriously though, the fish will be fine in the dark but, as Mats says, a reduction in the photoperiod may be a less drastic way to acheive the same result. If the light is on for 12 hrs, try 10 or even 8hrs. Also, if you are out at work most of the day there is no need for the light to be on when you aren't there. If you want the tank to be lit late at night, try having the light come on in the afternoon. And if you don't have a light timer, get one!
btw what sort of algae are you trying to get rid of? The blackout method really only works well for green water and may not have much effect on attached algae.