Sorry i just reread my post and it wasn't exactly clear. The uth will run just fine on a tub and will not melt it if properly regulated. The test I ran was unregulated to see if it would actually get hot enough to do so. It was just to see the extreme heat these can get to when unregulated. If it can melt the tub it will kill your snake point blank. This was just me with time on my hands, and old heat mat, extra tub, and curiosity.