Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

4 weeks cycling with fish.

Ammonia is has been at zero for the last 3 days.
Nitrites are still a brilliant purple
Nitrates are between 80 and 160.

The plants growing the DWC PVC are growing at a tremendously faster rate than the plant in the GB. I can only assume it because the constantly flowing water is providing them with more nutrients. I have orders a cycle time so I can start flooding every hour instead of every three. Hopefully this speeds up the growth in the GB.

If your system isn't already salted, having at least 1 ppt of salt dissolved into your system can maybe help protect the fish from the Nitrite spike (it's pretty toxic to fish.)

As for the grow bed only getting flooded every three hours. If you want to speed up the rest of your cycling and perhaps give those plants in the grow bed a leg up, just turn the pump on constantly for a few days till you get the new timer. Constant flood is actually not a bad way to go when cycling up a new system. then once you get your new timer you can drop back to flooding for say 15 minutes every hour.