Forgotten Path

I am currently setting up a 46 gallon bow-front NPT with Current USA's Nova Extreme Freshwater fixture... And I have encountered a problem.

When using the legs that come with the light fixture, it seems like there is not much light entering the aquarium. When you take the legs off and set the fixture on the canopy, the light entering the aquarium is greatly improved. I can only surmise that most of the light is bouncing off the glass canopy when using the legs.

However, at room temperature (about 70-72 F, not my planned 76 F) there is quite a bit of condensation on the canopy, which I am also concerned about scattering light, and I am sure once I get the heater in there will be even more...

I would like to use the light most efficiently (I can already feel the power bill going up), so here is the question:

Should I remove the canopy and use the legs to suspend the light over the tank? The fixture says not for use over open water, but it will clear the water by at least 4 inches, and there will be little or no disturbance on the surface (internal Fluval), and the fixture has a "splash" guard over the bulbs. This would also allow emergent growth.

Or, should I leave the canopy on and set the fixture on it, and find some means of dealing with the condensation (like taking the plastic strip off the canopy <-would that even work)?

I don't want to do anything unsafe or dangerous (putting the fixture over water), but I would also like to have an easy solution (like getting rid of the canopy), so I can't decide which would be best...