What is the difference between an atrium and a terrarium

Following a shopping list or tutorial for the wrong one can set you down a path to failure. So, what is the difference between a terrarium and a vivarium? Though both environments and can look very similar in terms of plants and earth; terrariums are designed to raise plants, and vivariums are designed primarily to be a habitat for an animal. Terrariums are generally a plant environment sealed in a glass container to look after itself, but vivariums often use pumps, filters and external light sources to create the right conditions for animals.

Humidity, watering frequency and light levels are all going to be different for a container keeping lizards vs a tropical plant or moss terrarium. The better ventilation that vivariums provide allow for the growth of particular species that really require it Bromeliads probably being the main type here.

Not to mention the various tropical plants that may be toxic to reptiles and other common vivarium creatures. Terrarium meaning land and aquarium meaning water for example. Plants are living after all, does that make a terrarium a type of vivarium? Then again, a typical vivarium does contain earth elements, and could feasibly be a terrarium with animals….

You could go around in circles forever with this reasoning. It typically offers little to no cover from the elements.

Buildings and homes are built up around an outdoor area, which is then outfitted with benches, paved areas, plants and other elements to create an aesthetically pleasing and functional design. In many cases, housing complexes, condominiums and apartment buildings utilize courtyards to create a shared, common, outdoor space, reports Lunchbox Architect.

Courtyards offer ventilation to create a cool, breezy environment. Warm air rises to the top of the space, while cool air from the indoor spaces is pulled into the open area.

Records of courtyard designs are found as far back as BC in China and India. These courtyard spaces served as a central place in which to keep a fire burning. Atriums were used in much the same way. Rising smoke from fires would cause the ceiling to become discolored. Later, the roof was removed, leaving an open-air room. On the other, this approach adds a lot of confusion.

Obviously, all these animals and plants require different types of fauna to survive. So, what is the difference between Aquarium, Terrarium, Riparium, and Paludarium? Therefore, technically absolutely any enclosure for an animal or plant, designed to provide a stable environment, is a vivarium. It is basically the general term for any biotope tank.

Sometimes people use the term Vivariums to specifically describe the recreation of an ecosystem for a particular species with controlled environmental conditions on a smaller scale. Note : I need to mention that some people do not include plants and say that vivariums are primarily for raising animals, not plants. Frankly saying, I do not agree with such an interpretation of this term.

However, this is the point of personal perception and views. Therefore, the aquarium is a tank of water in which live fish, other water creatures, and plants are kept. So, the main features of any aquarium: Habitat : Completely filled with water. Animals : Fish, shrimp , aquatic crabs , crayfish , aquatic snails , etc. Plants : Only aquatic plants. History says that the first terrarium was accidentally created by botanist Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward in when he was studying insect behavior and left one of the jars unattended.

A plant spore grew into a plant, and this jar resulted in the first terrarium in the world. The main feature of the terrarium is a relatively dry environment with low humidity and live plants. In general, terrariums are essentially small greenhouses that replicate natural environments for the plants. Sometimes people say that terrarium is a self-sustainable ecosystem with a living, growing plant inside a sealed container where water, plants, soil, and air combine to work through the natural processes of photosynthesis, respiration, and water cycling.

It is important to differentiate between different types of glass enclosures. There are two types of terrarium: sealed and open. Actually, the most helpful aspect of terrariums is their front-opening door. It will be inhumane to seal lizards, chameleons, snakes, etc. Glass terrariums are designed for airflow. That is why they often have screen mesh venting at the top of the container and venting at the lower portion of one of the sides, often the front.

Important : Do you know that aquariums often have a mark as terrariums because they are made of thinner glass? So, the main features of any terrarium : Habitat : Completely waterless or with small bawl of water. Animals : Land crabs , land snails , praying mantises , spiders, scorpions , ants, etc. Plants : Only land plants. Paludarium is also often called Aqua-terrarium. It is specifically semi-aquatic. In other words, paludarium is basically a terrarium with a body of water. This biotope has both aquatic and terrestrial features and extremely popular with aquatic enthusiasts.

Paludarium allows simulating wetland or rainforest zones. Due to the fact that the paludarium is dominated by flora with surface vegetative parts, there is no specific need for an additional supply of CO2. Plants grown emersed will have plenty of CO2 in the room air.