Confused- Several Questions

[Reggae Fish]

Normally my nitrates are between around 10-15 (I know it could be better) but since I dropped the batteries in my tank and lost a few things, my nitrates have spiked to around 40-50.

In the last week I've done 4 water changes totaling about a 50% water change...My nitrates are still around 25-40.

Since the battery incident, everything has looked so so...The only thing I've lost has been several torch heads on 2 different torches...I try to get them out as soon as possible but with that many water changes, shouldn't the nitrates be lower? Will something like the heads dying pollute the water that much? Seems like an awful lot.

Also, in my sump I have LR and all my heaters, etc...but on the bottom, it's like dirt that has settled...Could that be causing that? How would I even be able to get rid of that...

My lighting cycle is 6 hours on the whites and 7 with actinics. I have my mag 7 with 2 way return nozzles and a seio 1100 for flow.

Should I change my chemipure? Would that hold junk?

PH-8.2
Salinity- 1.025
Temp- 83.2
Ammonia-0
Nitrites-0
KH- 10-12
Calcium-340


Thanks,
Justin

[Letmegrow]

Anything dying can raise your nitrates.
Siphon out your sump a bit.

[Mykayel]

There are many possibilities as to what the batteries leached into your tank which could have killed a good portion of your bacteria, and the dyring stuff such as your torches just add to the problem.

As far as the "dirt" in your sump, that's denitrius (sp). Every time I do a water change I just try to get as much of that out as possible with a turkey baster first.

[DrBDC]

I never have any luck with turkey basters and just use a larger plastic hose to siphon.

Remember on the water changes for dillution of problems, larger single changes are much more effective. Here's a breakdown and all add up to 50%.

4 changes=58.6% of original substance

2 changes=56.25% of original substance

1 change=50% of original substance

I know it may not look like a huge difference but almost 10% (8.6% to be exact) more of the original substance you were trying to dillute is there still by doing the larger numbers. It is even worse if you add the new water then remove that same number of gallons vs. remove X gallons then replace.

I personally would do 2 50% changes a week for a couple weeks and run some kind of polypad if you aren't already. Probably wouldn't hurt to get about 5 bucks of rock for the diplay and 5 bucks worth for the sump from the LFS or other reefer to put in in case it needs some bacterial booster shot but I'd wait on that until you've done a total of 100% change. You could force a bacterial bloom too with sugar/vodka if needed. Doesn't make for a clear looking tank but you def. would get them drunk and in the mood to reproduce. :D

[Reggae Fish]

Thanks for all the answers...my sump is pretty full of LR...Would it be better to take some/all of it out so I can get to the detrius since I already have quite a bit of LR in the display? Or should I just put a cleanup crew down there?

[DrBDC]

Some snails may be ok down there. If there is sand down there then maybe some nass. snails too. You want to avoid any creatures that may eat pods if it serves as a fuge though. i.e. hermits, pod eating fish, etc.

It may be that to get to it you need to turn off the pump, shake the rock as you pull it out, and then siphon the sludge and put the rock back in. Obviously you won't do it as often if you have do more work like that.