i laughed about the feces stream.
reintroducing shouldn't give another cycle, unless something on the rock died when you have it out.
honestly, what it sounds like to me is either salinity swings or temperature swings. check all your parameters and get back to us. often times rushing to fix something (many large water changes) can be more stressful to the tank than whatever the unerlying problem is.
I'd leave your fuge, at worst it does nothing. at best it is exporting excess nutrients. if you're worried about chemicals in the tank, run carbon. Make sure you use good stuff (BRS rox is the best IMO), and I have some if you need it. For clarification, what parts of the tank did you paint, and how?