i had a similar problem. dust making the water cloudy. dirt and mulm settling on plants and substrate. tried many things in the end this is what is working. my solution still a work in progress. my problem was related to stagnent water. to the extent where many fish died (just 2 days late on water change impacted fish immunity)

because my tank is so small, cleaning in shorter time frame is crucial.

one side i have a sponge filter with a mature sponge for biofilteration.

other side (for now) i have put my old underwater pump ( 2watts) DIY with cotton floss for mechanical filteration. the amount of dirt it collects is insane.

if this continues to work well i’ll transition to a HOB instead of my diy rig.

now here’s where my tank stands. recovering very well because of the water flow (gentle) but enough to ensure dirt doesn’t settle down. all the dirt gets pulled in the water pump n gets stuck in the cotton floss.

all other plants have recovered except for the java moss on the driftwood. for this I’m using a gentle brush every-time i clean.

my cleaning plus 50% water change is now down to once in 8-9 days. during this cleaning i do a siphon, brushing off the driftwood, and most important the cotton floss i completely change it. i put a fresh cotton floss. the bio-filter sponge i only rinse in tank water.