I would continue to use the heat pad. Using it isn'the going to hurt but only help.
When I was using che's I would take a 60 watt , then screw it into a reptile lamp fixture with a simple on/off switch on the cord (the fixture designed to use heat bulbs with the white ceramic top) , then I would take and set the fixture directly on the metal screen top. However, I think a dimmer would be a good idea in case this would be too hot for some reason for you.
The towel could be a potential fire hazard while using the che, lexon is pretty fire resistant but you still want to give your lamp fixture clearance from it and you want to set it on the metal screen top, not the lexon itself. Continue to use the towel if needed but watch it CLOSELY and give it space from the lamp fixture.
Edit: I think Taylor'S idea of a 100 watt with a rheostat is a good idea. Your enclosure is bigger than a 20 long that I was using, so you'll need more power.
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