In rec.aquaria.freshwater.plants blank wrote:
absolutely i have been biting my nails for 72 hours non-stop and my
wife has been even more uptight but all is well, which is very reassuring
except it doesnt kill the damn algae anyway it was an experiment i had to
try and thank god no harm has been done

Fish do perfectly fine for 3 days without feeding unless they are young or
already ailing. Mouthbrooding cichlids go weeks without eating while
holding a clutch of eggs for example. Anyways, since darkness did not work
for your algae, perhaps you should be reconsidering what kind of algae you
have. Of course, microscopic examination would probably be needed to made
an absolute ID, but if you could post pictures (overall tank shot and
closeups are good) to a webpage, perhaps more directed cleanup suggestions
could be given.