Heat cable?

[Instinct101]

Does anyone have any experience with heat cable (hardware store brand)? I'm thinking about dispensing with my infrared lamp and trying a heating method that doesn't dry out the enclosure as quickly (I wonder if it's the reason why my pyxie stays buried all the time, like she is now). Do you need a specific wattage/length/etc to adequately heat a 15 gallon glass tank? How much does it raise the temps on its own (as in without a thermostat of any kind)? Can you tape it to only one side, or must you wrap/tape all around the tank for it to be effective? I've got the screen covered mostly with plastic wrap to help with holding humidity and heat to begin with.

[Lija]

I'm switching all my heat lamps to heat cables and flexi tapes for all snakes and geckos, frogs are waiting their turn so done with infrared lol
heat cable must be plugged into thermostat, you can tape it to the glass whatever way you want, just keep in mind it has to be on a side and make sure air goes freely, my cages are all in metal racks so applying it is easy, but if you use it like UTH and put a tank on a wood stand you might be in trouble.
I'm using zoomed heat cables. for my second ( emergency/overflow) incubator I'm using 25W heat cable, it is a big Styrofoam box and cable is on a walls inside, without thermostat the temps inside can reach 100F easily if not more, haven't tried

[Eridu Serpent]

Hi
I have a heat cable taped around 3/4´s of the underside of my tank...then I have a 40wt UV/heat bulb to simulate daylight over the top of the water tray. To
help keep the water warmer I have a small flat 15wt heater (it is very cold here in winter). I will turn this off as the days get warmer.
Goober often digs down but I have noticed he never does it near the heat cable, he tends to do it just to the side of the water tank,
he probably gets the heat from the moss from when the bulb was on.