Exo terra size and other questions

[Naginii]

Hey everyone. I am thinking about getting a carpet python as a display snake. I thought about getting an ATB or ETP but the ETP get too large it seems and the ATB might be a bit too strike happy. I should mention, I don't mind having a strike happy snake. I just like the idea that a carpet may eventually move past that stage. I am also very interested in the arboreal snakes which is what led me to finding out about carpets at all.

I have an exo terra cage, 36x18x18 and was wondering, if I got one of the smaller breeds of carpets that only get to 5 ft or so, how long could the carpet stay in a tank this size? If I understand right, people like to have the length of snake equal the length and width of tank, so I could keep up to around 4 feet long and upgrade the tank then? Is that right?

How fast would the carpet grow? If I fed an appropriate sized food item say once a week, would it be a few years to adult size like ball pythons?

Also, do they need an UTH source or is heating from above just fine? I ask because I have my tank is set up to allow for heating from above. Currently it's set up for a BP (that's going in a tub when I build my new rack system) so it has a basking spot of 96 degrees which equates to upper 80s in the hide, and the cool side is upper 70s, low 80s depending on house temp. It gets misted daily to keep the humidity up too.

Any other advice people can give me about the carpets? I am trying to do all the research I can right now about them. Once I get my new rack system built I want to get my BP moved over and start building a PVC type jungle for the carpet too. That way I can have the tank all established and ready for when I get the snake (which will be a while still. I'm very much in the planning stages here).