gooliver
Your wrestling with this canopy thing huh? It is tough to have you cake and eat it too when MH & no chiller are involved.
I think you can do it though.....You should build a quick and dirty canopy out of plywood. It don't have to be pretty, think of it as a proto type
As far as fans go it looks like your fixture already has two built in it, so just cut the holes out for it on the side. leave the back open for now and watch you temp.
Now to get to you question.....I think a canopy finishes off the tank, especially when you add the corner strips. It gives it that furniture look.
It keeps dust out of the tank, keeps jumpers in, holds the heat in better in the event of a power outage and gives you a place to hide an auto feeder. Also it's great place for moonlights if you don't have them already built into your light.
In the end it's all up to you and what your specific taste is, my taste is a canopy all the way
Cheers!!
Modern Series Canopy User? Good for MH ? H E L P
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...56#post4539056
What are the advantages of a canopy?
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...hreadid=549257