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An important point in all that is the trade-off between effective mechanical trapping of debris and the frequency of cleaning the mat. The more 'fine' the mat, the better it will trap small particulates. Daily cleaning can become necessary. With larger openings in the mat, the smaller debris gets through, but the risk of the mat becoming blocked goes down. Some folks using the Savio skimmer use several brushes in the mat holder instead of a mat. They find that blockage risk is greatly reduced, and say the debris entrapment is very good. While filter brushes are more expensive initially, they are virtually indestructible when used as intended, and thus less expensive in the long run.
BTW, if you can add a mat or other mechanical entrapment feature after the pump, it will help in keeping the nitrification chambers of your filter from getting an organic overload... or at least delay the inevitable.
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