From my understanding there are several different races of C. cyanurus. There is a lack of understanding on the differences and requirements of these races. This is why (I have heard) there isn't a true care sheet for C. cyanurus yet.
Keeping C. cyanurus aquatic is very simple in my opinion. They were the first newts I raised from eggs and there was a big learning curve and I still had great success.
I used alot of plastic plants when raising these little guys. Once they started spending more time closer to the top/gulping air (many bubbles on the surface)/loosing their gills I decreased the water level to only an inch or two. I add TONS of plastic plants and some cork islands to haul out on, but NEVER allowed them to become completely dry and leave the water 100%.
After leaving the water (again never tritely leaving) they were kinda clumsy in the water so pretty low water level is a must. When they were a morphed and eating great I raised the water slightly (one inch in a ten gallon) about every week. I left the plastic plants in there but after around the third or fourth week I started removing the cork.
Again, I think the trick is keeping the water level low with tons of thinks to climb on. It should be painfully simple for them to get to the surface but at the same time not allowing them to dry out or completely leave the water. I should state that my water temp was always around 70-72 degrees which seems to work well for activity level and feeding. I moved them into a ten gallon when they started morphing. I feed them strictly blackworms until right before morphing at which time I introduced earthworms and bloodworms.
Hope this helps, if there is any other question feel free to ask!
Mitch
