What is the difference between aquariums and terrariums

Now my question is that , is there any difference between vivarium and ecosystem? The word vivarium mostly refers to the container itself, but to be fair, in context it does tend to mean the ecosystem within too. This gave me all the terminology i need to figure out if its feasible for me!

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Ariums: Similar Names, Different Purposes. In the End, Does it Matter? Over to You. About The Author. Dan Dan is the founder of Terrarium Tribe and resident plant daddy. It produces plenty of beautiful white light and is Full Spectrum K. It is a great overall energy efficient light for both foliage and flowering. I simply hung it from the ceiling from metal chain that was hanging from a ceiling plant hook that I installed. I set mine on an automatic timer , to which I plugged into a power strip, and have it on for 14 hours a day.

I would definitely recommend that you install your light before you add your plants to the terrarium. This was the fun part! The choice of plants to add in a terrarium can be quite overwhelming! The only thing you need to keep in mind is that you need to have plants that require similar conditions light, moisture, etc in order for everything to work well. For example, ferns and succulents would not be a good idea to put in the same terrarium since ferns need consistently moist soil whereas succulents and cacti like to dry out.

I decided that I wanted my terrarium to have a lid on it so I can keep the temperature and humidity on the higher end. This way, I can grow plants that normally would not grow as well as in just plain pots somewhere in my house. I used a mix of common plants and also some rarer and more unusual plants! Here are a handful of plants I ordered online that I used in my terrarium:. In the following section, I talk a bit about each of the 9 plants that I planted in my terrarium.

I love this plant, which is actually not a moss at all, but rather a type of lycophtye. It thrives in the higher humidity and moist soil of a terrarium. The iridescent green and bronze foliage adds a lot of interest to the foreground. Another point of interest is that it extends what is called rhizophores into the soil as it grows and continues to creep along in your terrarium.

Looking to purchase terrarium plants? One of my favorite and most convenient one-stop-shops to buy practically any plant is Etsy. Check out the terrarium plant selection link to Etsy today!

I planted this clinging vine in the back of my terrarium. I wanted it to ramble about in the terrarium and climb up the walls and provide a green backdrop. It is quite vigorous and thrives in the moist, humid conditions in my terrarium. You can always use the cuttings to make more plants to else elsewhere or to share with friends. This is a great filler plant, and time will tell, but it seems to even be able to grasp onto the bare glass walls of the aquarium wall.

Peperomia fagerlindii, also sometimes called Perpomia perciliata, is a jewel for your terrarium. It is considered to be endangered in its native Ecuador and has beautiful, creeping red stems, dainty heart shaped leaves and white flowers. Be sure not to miss my dedicated blog post that I wrote on Peperomia perciliata. This native to Peru is commonly called Nerve Plant or Mosaic plant. This is a shorter plant with stunningly veined leaves.

This is another ideal terrarium plant because it hates dry air and dry soil. Terrariums provide a great environment to be successful with this plant. Many of us may have grown Fittonias in pots, and we all know what happens when they go dry. They will literally collapse. If you wait too long to water them again, they will probably not make it.

Since it is a shorter plant, I planted it in the front of the terrarium. If it gets too tall, I will simply trim it back. It will eventually form a lovely ground cover since the stems will root at the nodes where the leaves meet the stem when they touch the soil surface.

If you want to keep this plant growing lower, you can always pinch off the growing tips. These plants can also bloom, but the flowers are nothing substantial. You may want to pinch off any flower buds as they start to form in order to keep the plant tidier and more compact. This low growing bromeliad makes an ideal plant for the foreground of your terrarium. Commonly known as Earth Star, these Brazilian natives add a pop of color with their beautiful pink and green striped foliage.

Unlike many bromeliads that are epiphytes and grow on trees, Cryptanthus is terrestrial so plant this one directly into the terrarium soil. Also unlike epiphytic bromeliads, Earth Stars lack a central cup that is normally filled with water. They will exhibit the best color when they have good light, and the leaves are stiff and have little teeth on the edges so be careful when you handle them!

It is probably the slowest growing plants that I chose for my terrarium, so you might need to stave off some of the others to give it some room!

Eventually, it will form a lovely pink colony as it sends out pups at the base of the plant after the mother plant flowers. This behavior is typical of bromeliads in that after the mother plant flowers, it will start a slow process of dying, but not before it sends out a future generation of pups!

If you are interested in growing epiphytic bromeliads as houseplants in pots, check out my Bromeliad Care post for tons of information! Pilia mollis, commonly called the Moon Valley Pilea, has heavily textured leaves and adds incredible interest to your terrarium.

But even terrariums aren't always the ideal enclosure, unless they're well-ventilated. Pygmy chameleons throw a wrench into the matter because they don't mind aquariums one bit. Chameleons need plenty of airflow. Without fresh air circulating, your pal would have respiratory problems and overheat, which could make him seriously sick and even cause him to die. The only airflow in aquariums comes from the top, and only if they have mesh screens.

Glass terrariums don't provide a great deal of fresh air either unless you purchase a well-ventilated model that has vents to promote airflow. Mesh terrariums do exist; usually their sides have a mesh screen, while the front and back are glass.

These typically are the best choice aside from an enclosure made entirely from mesh. Chameleons love to climb and to perch atop plants and decorations high above the ground. Aquariums generally are long and somewhat tall, but not nearly tall enough to suit the tastes of a chameleon. Tall aquariums are more difficult to find and typically significantly more expensive than tall terrariums.

Your pal simply wouldn't be happy in an enclosure that was long but short. With their glass walls, aquariums do an excellent job of preventing evaporation.