Hey, I would space it out about every inch. As far as how much of the bottom needs to be heated that depends on how cold you keep the room that it will be placed in and the size of the ball that will live in the tub. For proper heating a snake needs to be able to curl on top of the heat source completely. I would say probably 1/3 of the tank should be heated. I would almost be tempted to router the channels in 2/3 of the shelf that way they are adjustable. Also I find that some of my snakes like to be warmer than others even within the same sex and species, it really is all about catering to what the snake needs. Be sure to use a thermostat. As far as heat tape being a fire hazard I have used it for years and never had a problem I think that most of the problems come from installing it wrong or not using a thermostat or using stuff that is damaged. Hope this helps if you need more help you can email me at mitchdoenges@gmail.com.

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