wow, sure am glad i joined this forum, the help i'm getting is tremendous. but yes, the footprint of the tank is 36"x18". so far from all the advice i have received i have put together this much

CHE on the hot side
UTH on the hot side
thermostat on the UTH
cover 25%-33% with UTH
probe between UTH and tank
cover most of screen with tinfoil or something to keep the humidity up
provide lots of stuff for the snake in the tank and two identical hides on each side
get a thermometer gun
artificial light is not necessary

am i on the right track so far?