I would get something much, much smaller than a 55 gallon. Any ball python dropped into that big space will be terrified. Idk if you know, but most of us keep ours in some variation of plastic tubs of various sizes. Whatever you get for heating, it won't need to go over 95 degrees Fahrenheit. You'll also need a thermostat to ensure that it doesn't no matter what you get.
How much do you know about ball python housing? Have you read the caresheet? All the stickies?
To directly answer your question, something about 1/3 the size of the total enclosure, and no more than half. They need to be able to get away from the heat if they want. For cost effectiveness, I recommend Flexwatt bought from reptilebasics.com. With the wiring clips and shipping, the four feet I bought were still less than a small/med Zoomed UTH. A roll of foil tape to attach it costs a few bucks, but can be pretty useful.
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