You could make a pendant into a decrative ornament that sits in the middle on top of the tank to light it; or if you are not worried about seeing in from the sides, you could light it from 2 sides with T5's or VHO's. As for the top, most people want the edges to overhang. You could have someone cut a dado into the 1.5" acrylic about half way that would perfectly mate with the table section. then bring the water level up to this. I think it would be pretty hard to get the overflow working correctly and at a consistant level doing it this way. You are also going to need some serious surface agitation in the sump to make up for the lack of it inside the table. Good luck and I hope to see it built asap.
