All of this talk about various bio-media is sort of a waste of time. The reason I say that is a tank will pretty much develop as much bacteria as it needs even when this cannot be done in a filter alone. the bacteria need very little to be able to multiply. The will colonize any hard surface in a tank which meets a few basic simple requirements:
1. A hard surface on which to attach.
2. Minimal light - so they usually will be on the undersides and shaded surfaces.
3. Decent circulation to deliver a steady flow of nutrients.
4. Adequate oxygen..
The above conditions can be met by substrate, rocks, artificial decor and wood. They may even colonize parts of the glass.
Given these facts I am not sure how any hobbyist can state with almost any degree of certainty how much bacteria is located where in their tank, There is really only one issue that we can evaluate in this respect. That is whether any tank is either fully able to handle the nitrogen processing or it isn't. Either you have enough bacteria or you do not.
And this leaves out the contribution made by live plants for those that have them in a tank. The plants reduce the need for bacteria (up to a point).
In a tank with no plants bacteria will handle all the work. But even in a tank with heavy planting of varieties that use the most nutrients, there will still be some amount of bacteria at work.
Different bio-media can offer more or less surface area for bacteria in a filter and this will influence the potential for how much might colonize, however it does not guarantee in any way that all the bacteria or even most of it will be in a filter. There is a potential downside to using so called "high capacity biomedia" and that is the potential for it to become clogged. Whether its from a design standpoint, a maintenance standpoint or both, it can clog in parts and this means less live working bacteria. When this happens the bacteria will begin to multiply elsewhere in the tank to replace what is no longer in the media.
What does happen is that manufacturers make a big deal about their media offering the most surface area. How important this may be is another issue. For my part I use more sponges as media than anything else. They work great as they have for many decades in the hobby. But how much can one charge for a sponge vs fancy bio-media?
All this said, I am not telling anyone not to use any media, only what I see as going on in this regard. Using a more pricey bio-media with more surface area will not harm a thing and should work just fine. If you are a bit curious about all this, try doing a Google for "DIY bio-media for aquariums" and see what you find.
