A vivarium is an enclosure, container, or structure adapted or prepared for keeping animals under semi-natural conditions. They are usually used for observation or study or as pets. In this article, we explore the main types of vivariums that exist today…
Aquarium
Here, at Aquatic Live Food, we are all very familiar with the aquarium and is one of the most common types of vivarium that exist today. No matter how large or small your aquarium is, having one can be a great insight into the reasons why they were developed in the 1800’s. It was Jeanne Villepreux-Power, a French naturalist who invented the first recognizable glass aquarium in 1832. Interestingly though, it was the work of British Philip Gosse who cemented the modern meaning of the term ‘aquarium’ as we now understand it.
Some of the most common freshwater fish are the Goldfish, Guppies, Betta Fish and, Angelfish. Meanwhile, in marine tanks, the more popular fish are Mandarin Fish, Clownfish, Flame Angelfish, Blennies and, Wrasses. Interestingly, the aquarium is so common that sometimes it is used to describe the other types of vivariums, which we will describe in further detail below…
Oceanarium
An oceanarium is a much larger version of the well-known aquarium. It can either be a marine mammal park or a large-scale aquarium. Some examples of an oceanarium in Australia are Melbourne Aquarium and Sydney Sea Life Aquarium.
Paludarium
Ready to mix it up a little? It was only a matter of time in history before someone thought ‘why not have both?’ So, they did. Consequently, a paludarium is a type of vivarium that incorporates both terrestrial and aquatic elements. It essentially is a natural eco-system encompassed in an enclosure and includes elements of water land and air. The trending art of aquascaping is based on the idea of a paludarium as it attempts to replicate the organic beauty of the eco-system in its natural form. The typical environment of a paludarium is partially filled with water and high humidity.
Riparium
A riparium is very similar to a paludarium in the way it is a combination of plants and aquaria. However, a riparium is mainly consists of water while a paludarium is mostly humid air. They typically host a variety of aquatic animals and don’t have semi-aquatic animals or terrestrial animals. The main idea of a riparium is to recreate the environment of wetlands or brook shorelines where marginal plants grow.
Terrarium
The Latin word for earth is ‘Terra’ and hence, the Terrarium is an artificial environment for plants, animals and insects such as scorpions, ants, land crabs, snails and praying mantises. The distinguishing feature of the Terrarium is that it consists of land only plants and animals, making it simple to set apart from ripariums, paludariums and aquariums.
