So my cycle seems to have stalled at high nitrates. Help please? :D

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Xyres

-Inside my filter is bio foam, foam, biomax and carbon.
-I use nutrafin for my test kits.

These are your two problems right here.

I agree with Brad (Aquattro) that there is no good reason for the canister filter. If you insist on using the canister filter use it only for carbon and/or phosphate reducing media. IF you must use some sort of "foam" to reduce particulate matter in the water column use polyester filter media that is made for quilt making (J&L sells it called Aquarium Filter Media (1-5 units) - 36" x 18" for $4 a roll) and very importantly, throw it out weekly. Do not rinse it, do not reuse it. Another option is to buy machine-washable filter media like Pure Flo 100 Micron Filter Pad or buy filter socks and cut them up. Wash them in HOT water in the washing machine with just bleach and/or baking soda. No soap. This will remove all the detritus so that it can't be converted to nitrate. The biofoam, foam, and biomax are all freshwater items and are biological filters designed to populate nitrifying bacteria that will convert organic waste (ammonia) to nitrate as quickly as possible. In a saltwater aquariums you want to remove organic waste before it can be converted to nitrate. This is the main purpose of a protein skimmer.

As far as test kits go, if you're looking for something affordable go for the API test kits. I find them to be much more accurate than Nutrafin/Hagen. I don't trust your Nutrafin kits if they are both saying 0.1 for ammonia and nitrite. Also, fwiw nitrite is not toxic in saltwater like it is in freshwater so you can save yourself a few bucks by not buying a nitrite kit. You can save yourself money on a pH test kit too because they are not very accurate in general, digital pH meters are the only readings I would trust. Essentially, if you're covering all your basic bases (waterchanges, using a skimmer, open your windows occasionally, etc) there is no reason for your pH to be out of whack anyway, so don't bother testing it. So for fish only tanks just buy ammonia and nitrate kits, and for reef tanks buy ammonia, nitrate, calcium, alkalinity, magnesium (use Salifert or Elos for this one), and phosphate (use Hanna or Elos for this one).

As far as anaerobic bacteria processing nitrate, that is true and most is found in the live rock. Some can be found in some sandbeds (although that often causes more trouble than good). Between a good skimmer, good maintenance, reasonable level of livestock, and good quality and quantity of live rock you should be able to keep nitrate near "0".