Bp heating

[PokeyTheNinja]

So I am looking to get a ball python and have a heating pad from zoo med and also a heat lamp I have a 40 gallon tank and was wondering if I should put the pad under the tank or on the side or if I should just use the heating lamp the tank is on a wooden coffee table please help me out

40 gallon would be too big if you're looking at getting a hatchling. You can clutter the space real good though. Heating pad goes under the tank on the outside and is not meant to heat ambient but provide a hot spot on the enclosure floor. You can use the heat lamp to warm the air but it might dry out the enclosure and cause the humidity to be too low. Whichever route you go, make sure you have thermostats on the UTH (under tank heat/pad) and a dimmer on the heat lamp.