Bad smell

[Miller535]

also refrigerator water may only be RO water, you need the DI also. Or get distilled water

Refrigerator is absolutely NOT an RO at all. It is just a small carbon block.

I would strongly recommend a RODI. Even if it's just a cheap 4 stage.

 

[FindingPonyo]

I also have the reef mas

I'm sorry to tell you this, but test strips are worse than worthless. This is because they are notoriously unreliable and can lead one to believe that parameters are okay when they are in fact widely out of range. I commonly tell people that they only thing they are good for is measuring the depth of your trash can.

Do yourself a huge favor and get a good set of tests such as the Salifert or Red Sea brands. If you are serious about reefing, this will be the best money you will ever spend. Pass on the API kits available in most pet stores -- they are only a marginal improvement over the test strips.

i also have the reef master test kit. But that is API. They aren’t strips but it is an API brand so is that bad?

 

[FindingPonyo]

How long has the tank been set up? Try testing for ammonia. If something happened or your nitrifying bacteria just don't like you they could've died and thats why your nitrites and nitrates are low is because its not being converted from ammonia.
Activated carbon also is very good for removing smells and clearing up water but is not a preventative matter but a treatment for a problem. Are you using RO/DI water? Also maybe try putting the powerhead on the other side of the tank? Because the powerhead and the filter are on the same side it could be creating a dead zone at the other side of the tank.

I thought that you should keep Nitrates low.

 

[TheShrimpNibbler]

I thought that you should keep Nitrates low.

Nitrates should not be kept extremely high, but no nitrates at all are also not good. It either means that the your filtration is extremely good and is denitrifying very quickly, or nitrates are not being produced at all. The second option would indicate that the bacteria for converting ammonia to nitrite and nitrite to nitrate are not working properly. That would mean that your cycle is not complete.
Also, API test kits are known for being inaccurate.