Thermostats are very important. That heat tape is going to get way to hot without one. Good thermostats are johnson controls, ranco, helix, and herpstat. I have a johnson controls and a herpstat nd. Before that, I did use the cheaper zoo med 500r with no problems (others will say that they are no good). At the least, you need to have the heat tape plugged into a dimmer switch. You can find these in the lighting department at Home Depot, Lowes, etc.