alternative media for Eheim 2026?

Looking to replace the media in my Eheim after about 5 or 6 years. I think the porous material has gotten clugged up. Despite my best water change efforts and great maintenance on the other filters and the tank in general, my aquarium looks kinda dirty sometimes as quickly as a week or two after a water change.

Since I originally set this tank up, my philosophies have changed a little; I realize that in many cases you can avoid spending a fortune on aquarium supplies. Seems that not all the fancy stuff is as important as frequent water changes, appropriate feeding habits, and resisting the temptation to add new fish all the time (especially without quarantining!). With that in mind, before I go out and buy the new Eheim media and spend a bunch of cash... I have to ask the question. Has anyone ever just put other stuff in these baskets that bacteria can colonize on? Such as broken up pieces of clay pots or bricks? Quartz rocks?

Incidentally, I also have two AC300's on the tank with 2 sponges each in them. So there's no shortage of places for bacteria to grow.