Questions about Flourite substrate --- I didn't rinse it

[Goldie Blue]

Just before the crisis that some of you are familiar with in my 55 gallon tank that led me to these wonderful forums, I was in the process of setting up and cycling a 10g for my betta. I bought some Seachem Flourite for the substrate, and did NOT rinse it off before placing it in the tank, as my LFS told me not to bother. The water was muddy but settled within 12 hours, but there is dust over just about everything in there, which also gets stirred up every time I move something around.

I am using a sponge filter, which I am also not sure is the right size, it looks HUGE in the tank.

The parameters are getting close to being able to swap my betta over into, but I am worried about the Flourite. My guy has been through a lot, and I worry that the dust in there can harm him, and about how to clean the tank if every time I even gently touch the gravel it stirs it up. 

Before I go farther with this should I replace the Flourite, remove it? How about the size on this filter? Any help to avoid future crises would be welcome lol. Thank you as always. 

Edited December 16, 2021 by Goldie Blue
Fat fingered enter before adding pics and title

[Mmiller2001]

Use your hand to disturb the substrate and then quickly do a 90% water change. You could do this several times. 

[Gator]

The filter is fine, it's better to have too much filtration than not enough. A 90% water change is too much work and worry for nothing, each week before you do your routine 25% water change, reach in and stir the substrate before you siphon off any water. That way, as you're siphoning off three gallons (For a 10 Gallon tank) of water, you'll be removing some of the silt with the water, you do this each week, and before you know it, you're not going to have any silt. In the wild, Bettas' deal with silt and much, much worse from runoff from rain and snow, so relax and enjoy your aquarium. 

[gardenman]

Flourite is a softish clay like substance and even rinsing it will create more dust. It's one of those substrates that never comes totally clean. If you've got a HOB (hang on back) filter or even a corner box filter you can fill with quilt batting or filter floss, and that will pull out the free-floating particles and you can use your hand to create waves to get the rest of it floating. Sponge filters, in my experience, are fantastic bio filters, but not so great at mechanical filtration. A simple little air driven box filter or a HOB will clean things up pretty quickly.