Vivarium

Penguinarium containing Humboldt penguins in Prague Zoo.

There are various forms of vivarium, including:

• Aquarium, simulating a water habitat; for instance a river, lake or sea; but only the submerged area of these natural habitats. Plants in the water will use some nitrogen present within the system, and will provide areas for organisms to hide and forage.
  • Oceanarium, containing larger ocean-dwelling fish and mammals, such as sharks or dolphins.
    • Dolphinarium, an aquarium for dolphins.
• Aviary, a large enclosure for confining birds, large enough to allow them to fly around.
• Fish pond, controlled pond, artificial lake, or reservoir that is stocked with fish.
  • Koi pond, pond used for holding koi, usually as part of a landscape. Koi ponds can be designed specifically to promote health and growth of the Nishikigoi or Japanese Ornamental Carp. The architecture of the koi pond can have a great effect on the health and well being of the koi.
• Greenhouse, enclosed environment for growing plants.
  • Conservatory, a large greenhouse.
• Nocturnal house, building with controlled light cycles in a zoo or research establishment where nocturnal animals are kept in glass-walled enclosures containing a replica of the animals' normal environments, for viewing by the public, or for observation by researchers.
• Paludarium, a semi-aquatic enclosure simulating a rain forest, swamp or other wetland environment. It also can be seen as an aquarium interconnected with a terrarium, having both the underwater area as well as the shore.
• Penguinarium, containing penguins.
• Riparium, a new kind of planted aquarium system that recreates the wet habitats found along the edges of lakes, rivers, ponds and streams. This zone hosts marginal plants, which are rooted in the saturated soil at the edge of the water, but hold their leaves up in the air. Unlike a paludarium however, ripariums do not have a significant land portion, making them unsuitable for most amphibians. Instead, they utilize specialized planters which either hang onto the sides of the tank or float on the water's surface.
• Terrarium, simulating a dry habitat, for instance desert or savannah. A terrarium can also be formed to create a temperate woodland habitat, and even a jungle-like habitat. This can be created with pebbles, leaf litter and soil. By misting the terrarium, a natural water cycle occurs within the environment by condensation forming on the lid causing precipitation. Many kinds of plants are suitable for these habitats, including bromeliads, African violets and Crassulaceae. Animals commonly held for observation include reptiles, amphibians, insects, spiders, scorpions and small birds.
  • Herpetarium, containing various species of reptiles and amphibians. Herpetariums may fall under another category of vivariums, depending on the natural habitat of the species being kept.
    • Serpentarium, a herpetarium that specializes in snakes.
  • Insectarium, containing insects, arachnids, and other similar arthropods.
    • Formicarium, an "ant farm" for containing ants.

Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward first introduced Terrarium and Vivarium in 1842, built mainly from glass and wood.

A vivarium is usually made from clear container (often plastic or glass). Unless it is an aquarium, it does not need to withstand the pressure of water, so it can also be made out of wood or metal, with at least one transparent side. Modern vivariums can be as simple as a bottle (see Bottle garden) and are sometimes constructed from epoxy-coated plywood and fitted with sliding glass doors. Coating the inside of a plywood vivarium helps to retain the natural effect of the environment. Epoxy-coated plywood vivariums retain heat better than glass or plastic enclosures and are able to withstand high degrees of humidity. They may be cubical, spherical, cuboidal, or other shapes. The choice of materials depends on the desired size and weight of the entire ensemble, resistance to high humidity, the cost and the desired quality.

The floor of a vivarium must have sufficient surface area for the species living inside. The height can also be important for the larger plants, climbing plants, or for tree climbing animal species. The width must be great enough to create the sensation of depth, both for the pleasure of the spectator and the good of the species inside.

The most commonly used substrates are common soil, small pebbles, sand, peat, chips of various trees, wood mulch, vegetable fibres (of coconut, for example), or a combination of these. The choice of the substrate depends on the needs of the plants or of the animals, moisture, the risks involved and aesthetic aspects. Sterile vivariums, sometimes used to ensure high levels of hygiene (especially during quarantine periods), generally have very straightforward, easily removable substrates such as paper tissue, wood chips and even newspaper. Typically, a low-nutrient, high-drainage substrate is placed on top of a false bottom or layer of LECA or stones, which retains humidity without saturating the substrate surface.

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  Butterfly vivarium or Insect home, Henry Noel, ca. 1858.
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  Two large glass terrariums with plants
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  Taxicab or sun beetles in an insectarium.
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  Vivarium with epoxy-coated plywood walls.
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  Binturong (Arctictis binturong) in vivarium Darmstadt, Hessen, Germany.