Well, its 2 AM and I just got pretty much done with the canopy.

Supplies:

1 4x8 plywood (red oak)
16 ft. large molding trim
16 ft small molding trim
17 ft smal angle modling trim (to make the cabinet doors)
2 sets of hinges.

1st: Cut the ply wood into strips to make the front and side of the cabinet:


P9020006 by HangTheMan, on Flickr

2nd: Make sure the edges of the strips are 45 degrees to make ...

I had a black background on my 240 from Petsmart. I had a lot of problems with it. Water would get in between the background and the tank when I would service the tank. It got on my nerves enough for me to rip it off. I ended up having the idea of laying down one big piece of vinyl (a big black sticker) on the back instead of painting it. I am not a very good painter and I didn't want to do something that permanent to my tank. So I picked up a 96x30 sheet of vinyl from the local decal shop...

Background color choice may depend on your type of tank, and more importantly your fish. Eg. many blue discus tend to darken with a black background or pepper up in the case of pigeon blood colors (something about the appearance of the void may frighten them). Some Tropheus, like Moliro reds, may not show their brightest color with a black background (unless you've got some nice white gravel). However, blue can be quite blaring (this is subjective), especially on a tank without much front to back...