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Zero Light and Zero CO2 = Amazing Plant Growth?



Hello Everyone,

How could this be?  I had a "green water" and "brush algae" problem in
my 55 gal. I don't have a Diatom filter or any Daphnia YET, so I
panicked and covered the entire tank with black plastic bags for
almost 96 hours and turned off the CO2 - which was about 1 bps. I "was"
also running 4x55 CFs from AHS. Well, today, I took off the black
plastic expecting all the flora to be yellow or dead, and my
two Platys to begin to change into albino cave fish - if they
lived at all. To my total amazement, the Cambomba grew almost 10" and everything
else grew an average of 6 inches - this is the most growth I've ever seen since
planting almost 3 weeks ago. We're only talking 4 days here - in 100%
darkness. Plants that had previously been "doing nothing"  grew A LOT
during the "blackout." The fish seem "okay." I immediately did a quick water
test and found: PH 7.3, and KH 6. I removed 2x55w and put the hood back on.
I have not turned the CO2 back on as of yet. The water has cleared up somewhat,
the brush algae is "almost" completely gone. I've got plenty of light
and plenty of CO2 available, but I guess I've reached a juncture here
where things aren't quite clicking together for me. A dramatic experience
like this ought to be telling me "something" more than I seem to be
getting, but what? I am simply not sure which way to go at this point
to achieve more "plant happy" conditions. Maybe they just want to grow
when nobody is looking?  *smiles* I'd be very grateful for any insights or
recommendations.