I have an indoor serrano pepper plant that was doing really great about a month ago, putting out dozens of new blooms with rich, green foliage, but now I have a serious problem. Here are the details:

Serrano pepper
Hand watered coco coir in a 7 gallon pot
Hydroponic nutrient 800-1000 ppm fed once daily
12 hours of HPS 600 watt light daily

About 3 weeks ago, aphids began to start attacking it starting from branches and leaves on the very interior of the plant. I removed the infested branches, applied various organic sprays (neem, garlic, spicy pepper, etc.) to no avail. Long story short, the aphids have killed off 60-80% of the leaves, and I have hope that the pesticide I am using will solve the problem of aphids for now.

My question is now that I want the plant to regrow its leaves, would it be advisable to switch to a 18/6 or 24/0 photoperiod to induce a vegetative state? There are only about 4-5 small peppers that have fruited, and I don't really care what happens to them since I am more concerned about the overall plant than a couple of underdeveloped fruit.