a HOB filter will provide the necessary water movement and aeration for your tank. if you want, you can supplement it with a bubbler or airstone, but thats a matter of preference.
people usually don't replace the filter pad for a number of reasons:
1.) manufacturers recomend a ridiculous change of once every 2-4 weeks so they can make more money. it is unecessary and sometimes bad for your tank.
2.) your filter pad contains the majority of your biofiltration "good bacteria". removing them would somewhat compromise this type of filtration and in some cases cause a "mini-cycle" in the tank.
3.) carbon, for the most part, is not really needed in planted tanks because the plants absorb some of the waste. in nonplanted tanks, you may or may not want to use depending on your preference. other than that, it's good for removing odor and medications.
every month or so, i usually fill a bucket with aquarium water from the tank. this would be used to clean the detrius, debris and gunk off the filter pad. rinsing under a sink is not recommend since the bacteria is pretty sensitive against untreated water that has chemicals or elements in it. temperature also affects them.
doing this regular maintenance will probably mean you'll never need to change those filter pads unless they break. save some money for other fish stuff!
