Dirt Amongst Bio Media?

[KirkyArcher]

Having just read a recent thread and also from watching several U-tube vids previously many people seem to have very dirty bio media in there externals (some what I'd call disgustingly dirty), now I've gone no more than 4 months without cleaning an external filter and never has the dirt got passed the sponge/mechanical filtration to get to the bio media, so that leading to my question is it thought to be essential that the muck gets into the bio media? My water stat results shows that it's not required, a daily testing regime after a filter sponge clean shows no increase in nitrites or ammonia so the bio media must be working surely? 
 

 

[techen]

Easily put, No. The bio media is the lifeline to your fish tank and I would avoid messing with it.
 
If it looks dirty then chances are it's very mature media, Letting the good bacteria grow and expand. They wont grow if you keep cleaning the media

 

[fluttermoth]

I'm like you; I have my filters set up so not much actual dirt gets through to my bio media. It just clogs up the bio media and leaves less surfaces for the bacteria to grow on, IMO.
 
I don't think a very dirty filter will be terribly efficient.
 
lol; we sound like total opposites now, techen!
 
Are we talking actual solid dirt, or just 'dust' and brown staining?

 

[KirkyArcher]

Well the ones I've seen are covered in Mulm some caked in it, My bio media is stained when compared to brand new stuff but it's not covered in dirt, and it must be working well for surely after wringing out the sponge/mechanical filtration if that was the only place bio organisms were living then I'd see some spike in at least one of the N02 N03 NH3 tests at some point. What I tried to state is that but probably omitted the information My bio media doesn't require cleaning as it doesn't get dirty enough to require cleaning.