Hey there! I am also planning to go the reptile show on the 10th at the Fairgrounds! I am looking forward to it! It sounds like most of what you are doing is very similar to how I'm going about things so far. I have had mostly an issue with some ambient temps though. My house is chilly at 67 or so degrees and I'm struggling to keep ambient temps up to 75 on the cooler end. I took thick black foam board and put it along the exterior of the back and two sides of a 20L Zilla terrarium. I did plexi glass across the top of the cool side and then a UTH heat pad underneath. I just ordered a CHE that arrives today. I had a daytime bulb we got with the Fluker's dimmable lamp and it's helping with the hotter side, but I'm still not getting quite the right temps. I'm hoping with the CHE I will be successful! I will definitely keep you updated! I am just really worried about the cooler side of his enclosure. I am worried about it dropping too low and him getting sick. I have a temp gun I use, as well as a thermometer in the tank as well. I also use a thermostat for the under tank pad.
Definitely keep me updated on your set up! I would love to hear what is working best for you! I'm hoping I can get these temps perfect for mine asap!