There are many ways to keep the temperature down if that is you goal...

The first and probably the easiest and most common is to keep newts that require the cooler temperaures in the basement. This is generally very useful for the winter cooling period. I have read that one should put newts in the refrigerator for the winter cooling period... I can not bring my self to do that.

There are also chillers available. By cooling the water, would bring down the temperature in the entire enclosure.

As can be seen from the picutres of my 35g hex tank... it has running water, which is cooler by its nature than standing water. On the other side of the cork flats is soil in which the newts can dig. What is not seem in the pictures is that behind the cork flats in approximately 6-7 inches deep of hydroballs, then window screening to separate the hydroballs from soil. The soil is 3.5-4.5 inches deep, damp but not wet and soft enough for the newts to dig into, there is a space (cavern) under the "creek" which is made from one piece of lace rock and a couple of clay fired "caves". The tank sits on a stand that is only 15inches off of the floor of my fish room and on an outside wall, and I am using only a 20w florenent tube to light it. I have done everything, short of getting a chiller (I have no basement) to keep the temperatures lower.

I have taken temperature reading at various spots within this particular enclosure and at various times and found: the water in the "pond' hovers between 69-71 (f), the space under the "creek" hovers around 66-68, the clay fired caves: 70, 2 inches deep in the soil is about 67-68. This hex tank is 17"x17"x24"H. The little water pump does generate heat, but evaporation causes cooling.(evaporation off of a rock is cooler still) I took all these readings before deciding on what would live in this tank. If I wanted tree frogs, with everything else being the same, I would have had to add heating of some sort and/or move the set up to a higher stand, say 36inches off the floor and next to an interior wall, all the temperatures would then adjust upwards. Newts are the perfect fit within the temperature ranges caused by the placement of the tank.

There are two schools of thought... decide what you want to keep, research, research, research then built the best enclosure possible for that creature. Or build an enclosure that you like... then research, research, research what can realistically live in it. I have done both at one time or another.

I want to say that I believe that there is no one right way, of course, there are alot of wrongs ways to keep "pets". My days of wanting to breed are long gone and I am not what I would call a "collector". Although I do not agree with the practice, I know "collectors" that keep their charges in small plastic boxes in a rack system. I also know breeders that do the same and are still sucessful.

I should probably say that I have been a fish keeper for almost 50 years and have gone full circle back to low tech. I have "experimented" with the "new" technology that seems to show up every couple of years. And have found that the technology oftentimes seems to interfer with the enjoyment of the keeper and well as the kept. Sometimes the easiest way is the best.