Malasian driftwood causing problems

So I'm finishing up cycling my 9.1 gal long with ammonia and bacteria. I have a LARGE piece of driftwood that I soaked for a week. Pressurwashed. Soaked another week. Scrubbed and soaked another 2 and scrubbed again. It is still releasing tannins witch I understand but there seems to be lots of itsy bitsy things floating around in my tank. Like... so thick through the water. I only have sand and black axe rock. No plants. I can't photograph it because the fragments are so small. Could it be anything other than wood? The walls of tank and heater have a thin layer of tannin colored sludge on them. The wood is kind of built into the tank so I can't remove it without destroying my hardscape completely. Help?!

 

How well was the sand washed? How long has the tank been set up? Any sort of disturbance in the sand? Driftwood will often release a "biofilm" that shrimp and some fish really love chowing down on. But the "floating" bits sound more like my experiences with sand than driftwood. Regardless, I would use some form of mechanical filter and pack it full of quilt batting, this will polish the water and should clear those tiny bits out of the water column in no time!

 

So I'm finishing up cycling my 9.1 gal long with ammonia and bacteria. I have a LARGE piece of driftwood that I soaked for a week. Pressurwashed. Soaked another week. Scrubbed and soaked another 2 and scrubbed again. It is still releasing tannins witch I understand but there seems to be lots of itsy bitsy things floating around in my tank. Like... so thick through the water. I only have sand and black axe rock. No plants. I can't photograph it because the fragments are so small. Could it be anything other than wood? The walls of tank and heater have a thin layer of tannin colored sludge on them. The wood is kind of built into the tank so I can't remove it without destroying my hardscape completely. Help?!

Sound to me your tank is becoming alive. Look at a creek in the neighbourhood; below the water surface, it won't look much different.

 

What kind of filter are you running? If it is a HOB or canister you could you put some filter floss in it to clear the particles.

 

How well was the sand washed? How long has the tank been set up? Any sort of disturbance in the sand? Driftwood will often release a "biofilm" that shrimp and some fish really love chowing down on. But the "floating" bits sound more like my experiences with sand than driftwood. Regardless, I would use some form of mechanical filter and pack it full of quilt batting, this will polish the water and should clear those tiny bits out of the water column in no time!

I actually cleaned my sand really really well even though the packaging says not to. Would water changes be good to remove bits as well?