Rotting Hood and Stand

[Dianne]

We have briefly chatted about this once before but now I am to a point that I absolutely have to do something.  If not, I'm going to walk in one day and find my tank sitting on the floor.  So, I'm ready for some serious, down and dirty talk.   I got all smarty-arty and had my hood and stand custom made to match my kitchen cabinets.  The front and sides have decorative panel insets.  I sealed the inside with epoxy paint (recommended by the LPS - local paint store) and painted the outside with oil paint.  Then I had a brass piano hinge put on the hood top.   By the end of year two, the hinge had started to do some serious rusting and the panel across the front of the hood had started to rot.  I tried putting an acrylic top between the tank top and the hood but that caused the water to become way too hot.  By the end of year three (now), the hood is pitiful, the hinge is barely hanging on and now the panel on the sump side of the stand has a crack developing.  So much for smarty-arty.    Now, the recommendations I had before from the reef list was, basically, use a paint intended for marine use.  I'll do that, but, I'm also wondering whether or not I should remove the back of the cabinet and hood to release the moisture.  I looked at the ones for sale in the LFS and the backs are out of ALL of them.  I don't know if this is for moisture purposes or a cost factor.  However, the display tank in the store has a back.  This is a cabinet that they, themselves, custom make.  The store is only about a year old so theirs hasn't had time to deteriorate yet - if it does.      So, what I'd like to find out is what about your tank - does it have a back or not?  Has anybody else had moisture/rotting problems?  I want to be sure I do it right this time.   Thanks for your help.   Dianne