elliotulysses 
Re: Filter Changes
Another alternative is to throw away the pads and throw some peace lilly/pothos in your filter. I got rid of filter pads a long time ago, and only use plants in my hob filters now. Plant roots are great bio media and HOB's make a handy plant holder.
When I did use pads I used to just clean them in dirty tank water to help the flow. There's really no need to switch out filter media unless its just totally destroyed and no longer has much surface area. I agree with Carlos though, I rarely utilize carbon, and then only for a day or two.
