I have my ball in a 90 gallon and it has a perfect gradient. I use a heat mat with thermostat on one side with a heat lamp 75 watt and the overall temp in the room is 77. So the left is 92 and the right is 77. So it is possible to do with glass. Although the only problem is well the size. If I could do it over I would just invest ina rack system. But since I’m not a breeder and it’s for viewing it works great.