I think the T8, for $150, is going to be the way to go. Hell if I really wanted I could get two T8s and stack them on top of each other, then cut out access between the two and sandwich some heat tape in between. It would still be cheaper than a T12. But that's getting ahead of myself.

I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to lay out the heat tape so I'd rather just wire it myself. "The Serpent Merchant"- What heating do you use?