I think it will work just fine. I have actually seen people use those racks for snake racks and even the plastic storage shelves you get at lowes. The heat tape/ uth should be fine directly taped to the shelf. Make sure your heat tape/ uth is plugged into a reliable thermostat so you can control temps. Dont want a tub melting or causing a fire. We have built wood racks and used 28qt tubs and taped flexwatt heat tape directly to wood shelf and every shelf is wired in series together and plugged into a thermostat. Hope this helps