I don't use mats because I think they look ugly.
On my 16 bow, however, it is on a wood cabinet, not a tank stand. So, to keep the wood protected, I just went to homedepot (Lowes will have them too) and got a sheet of plexiglass. I cut it down to size, and put the tank on it. This way, the wood doesn't get ruined from splashes, and there isn't an ugly mat under the tank.
I was thinking about building a shrimp tank for my night stand (but I got a nano cube, so that idea is a gonner) and I was gonna do the same with the plexi glass.
65 gallon low tech planted