I use a 30 gallon breeder aquarium (I thought it was 40, but the floor space is the same - 40 gallons are taller, but I digress), and it's quite the pain in the butt to keep both the temps AND the humidity up. The size of my tank is 36Lx18Wx13H.
What I ended up doing (and it's working very well) is taping a clear shower curtain to the top (screen lid) and cutting flaps for the doors. One door flap I leave open and keep a red bulb to keep the ambient temps up. The other side, I keep closed and just lay towels over top to help trap in the heat.
This will all soon be replaced with a large rubber mat. Since glass is also next to impossible to trap the heat in, you may have to put something (styrofoam, rubber, tin foil -not the best- etc) around the back and two sides of your tank to help trap the heat inside.
I use forest bark substrate and it works GREAT. Misting however, does nothing to raise humidity so what I do is spray the entire surface of it every couple days, then just sort of mix it all up with my hand so it's not wet to the touch (don't want scale rot). I also take warm (NOT HOT) water and spray it directly on the glass under the substrate, on the UTH.
This keeps the surface of the substrate dry, and humidity up for about 3 days, but the constant care of the viv is quite the pain. And if that's not bad enough, every couple weeks (to a month) I have to boil (or change) the substrate to prevent bacteria or mold growth.
When I'm not home (and at night) I cover the front of the tank so the snake has privacy (I have cats who like to watch, and this can cause stress on your snake).
So far it's working GREAT, but when he's older, I'm likely going to put my cornsnake in his tank (the corn will outgrow the one he's in now) and put the python in a sterlite container.
I'm against rubbermaids *gasp* as well, but I'm learning quickly that although it CAN be done with glass, it's definitely not the easiest, and likely (with all the disturbance), not the best thing for your snake.
There are sterlite containers out there that are clear plastic (great for photocycle), about 3-4 feet long, 2 feet wide, and about a foot deep. A few holes drilled along the top of each side, a UTH underneath (use feet), a couple of hides and a large water bowl is not only cheaper, MUCH easier to care for, but your snake will be healthier and likely a better feeder.
From someone who knows the pain of using a glass viv and is being as stubborn as possible about switching to plastic... that's my $0.02.
Edited to add: I have a cornsnake in a 25 gallon aquarium, with forest bed substrate and a screen lid. I spot clean daily and change the water every other day. That's it. LOL (I mean I knew pythons were different, but holy cow... )
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