Lol..i will. My daughter is super excited. Hmm..I'm trying to find the right size uth for a20 gal long..do you happen to know what wattage that should be? All the ones I'm seeing seem to.be for bigger tanks
Is your new snake going to be a small baby? I presume you're going to use a standard screen top on the aquarium? If so, I'd really recommend getting a piece of pegboard and cutting it to fit inside the tank rim, under the screen top. That will prevent a small snake from climbing up and escaping. A small one can/will slip right out at the corner gap of the screen top. The metal spring clips commonly sold to secure the screen tops are pretty much worthless IME. I found velcro straps called Tera Tie Downs on Amazon that are much better for aquariums with screen tops. The 18" size are best. While the 12" will work on a 20 gallon, the longer ones are better. Use 2, one at each end.
Regarding temperature gradients, vertical also works as well as horizontal. I have several 2017 corn and rat snakes now. They each have a small hide setting directly on the bottom with another hide (ceramic cave actually sold for tropical fish, but snakes like them better than my fish ever did, lol) setting atop the first one. That way they can use the lower hide for warmth or the upper cave for a cooler resting spot.