Any animal is going to enjoy being secure than not as secure. Sure they can thrive in tanks, but the question is what are they happier in? Easy answer is tub.

I handle my 50+ tub kept ball pythons without issue, I have a few that hiss, none bite that are over 4 months old. Currently all of them besides 1 are eating. Id say things are looking pretty good. I notice your cold side temps are a little low, it is pretty well accepted to have your hot spot somewhere between 90-94, You might want your hot spot on the high side to bring up the cold side temps a little. You might not have that issue in a tub however.