In short: Vivarium is the umbrella term for any enclosure that houses living animals or plants. A terrarium is a vivarium that is mainly land, a paludarium combines water and land in roughly equal importance, an aquaterrarium is mostly water with a functional land area, and a riparium is an aquarium whose plants grow out of the water at the shoreline. The vivarium vs terrarium question is therefore not "either/or": every terrarium is a vivarium, but not every vivarium is a terrarium. Below we untangle all five terms, show where they overlap and explain which one your animals actually need.
What is a vivarium?
The word comes from the Latin vivus, alive. In ancient Rome a vivarium was an enclosure or pond where animals were kept alive, often for the table. Today it simply means a contained, artificial habitat for living things, and that is exactly why the term causes so much confusion. It covers everything from a desert tank for a bearded dragon to a misted rainforest for dart frogs.
How people use the word also depends on where they live. In the UK, "vivarium" is the everyday word for a reptile enclosure, often a wooden one with sliding glass doors. In North America the same word is mostly used for planted, humid tanks, as in "dart frog vivarium". In German-speaking countries "Vivarium" is used more as the umbrella term, and it also appears in the names of some public zoo houses. If you ask "what is a vivarium?", the honest answer is: an enclosure with life in it, nothing more specific.
What is a terrarium?
From the Latin terra, earth. A terrarium is a vivarium in which land is the main element. Water is present only as a bowl, a small pool or humidity in the air. Terrariums range from bone-dry desert setups to dripping rainforest tanks, so the word says nothing about climate, only about the dominance of land.
To make things harder, "terrarium" also describes a closed glass container with plants and no animals, the classic bottle garden. In the pet world, however, it almost always means an enclosure for reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates or small crabs. Whether it should be tall or wide depends on the animal; our article vertical vs horizontal terrarium covers that in detail.
What is a paludarium?
From the Latin palus, swamp or marsh. A paludarium contains a real water section and a real land section, both used by the animals, typically joined by a shoreline. The water is filtered like in an aquarium, and the land section is planted, drained and decorated like a terrarium. Typical inhabitants are fire-bellied toads, some newts, small freshwater crabs and, in brackish setups, mudskippers. Our paludarium setup guide walks you through the build step by step.
What is an aquaterrarium?
The aquaterrarium sits between aquarium and paludarium. Water clearly dominates, often 70 % or more of the floor area, and the land part is functional rather than a planted habitat: a basking island, a ramp or a terrace under the heat lamp. The classic aquaterrarium houses water turtles, which spend most of their time swimming but need a dry place to bask and, for females, to lay eggs. In English the term is rare, and people simply say "turtle tank" or "half-and-half tank". In German it is the standard word. How to plan one in practice is covered in our aquatic turtle tank setup guide.
What is a riparium?
From the Latin ripa, riverbank. A riparium is essentially an aquarium with a lowered water level, in which marginal and bog plants grow from planters at the water's edge so that their leaves rise above the surface. There is usually no walkable land section at all. The focus is on plants, fish and shrimp, and the tank is often open at the top to let the emersed growth spill over. A riparium is therefore a plant-lover's tank first and an animal habitat second.
All five compared in one table
| Type | Latin root | Water share of floor area | Typical inhabitants | Lid and ventilation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vivarium | vivus – alive | Any | Any living animals or plants | Depends on the type |
| Terrarium | terra – earth | 0–10 % | Lizards, snakes, geckos, tortoises, tarantulas | Ventilated, often front-opening |
| Paludarium | palus – swamp | 30–70 % | Fire-bellied toads, newts, small crabs, fish | Closed with ventilation strips |
| Aquaterrarium | aqua + terra | 70–90 % | Water turtles, some semi-aquatic amphibians | Open or ventilated, room for a heat lamp |
| Riparium | ripa – riverbank | 90–100 % | Fish, shrimp, emersed plants | Often open at the top |
The percentages are guide values, not definitions. A land-focused paludarium for small crabs can have only 20 % water, and for weak swimmers such as musk turtles a shallower water level matters more than the exact water share.
Vivarium vs terrarium: is there any real difference?
In everyday use, often not. A shop selling "vivariums" and a shop selling "terrariums" sell the same glass boxes. Strictly speaking, though, vivarium is the parent category and terrarium one of its children. When people write "vivarium" today, they usually want to signal that the tank is planted and alive, often bioactive, rather than a sterile box with a paper floor. If you are interested in that living approach, our bioactive terrarium guide explains how it works.
Paludarium vs vivarium: when does the water make the difference?
A paludarium is also a vivarium, so the real question is: when does a planted vivarium with a pond become a paludarium? The answer lies in the technology. As soon as the water section needs its own filtration, heating and water changes, and the animals live in it rather than just drinking from it, you are building a paludarium. A dart frog vivarium with a 2 cm puddle stays a vivarium. A tank with 15 cm of filtered water, fish and a shoreline is a paludarium.
Aquaterrarium vs paludarium vs riparium: how to tell them apart
These three are easiest to separate by asking where the animals spend their time and what role the land plays:
- Aquaterrarium: animals live mainly in the water; land is a basking and egg-laying station.
- Paludarium: animals use both zones; land is a planted habitat with hides, climbing and feeding areas.
- Riparium: animals live only in the water; the "land" is a band of emersed plants for the viewer.
Many real tanks sit between categories, and that is fine. The label matters less than planning the right ratio for the species.
Which other enclosure terms will you come across?
Once you start reading forums and product descriptions, a few more words appear. None of them replace the five main types; they describe a climate or a special purpose:
- Desert or arid terrarium: a dry terrarium with sand, rock and a strong basking spot. Wide, low tanks and horizontal backgrounds are typical.
- Rainforest or tropical terrarium: a humid terrarium with plants, roots and often a misting system. Tall tanks with vertical backgrounds suit tree-dwelling species.
- Insectarium: a vivarium for insects such as stick insects, mantids or beetles, usually well ventilated.
- Formicarium: an ant nest with a viewing area, a very specialised vivarium.
- Bioactive vivarium: not a separate type but a method in which plants, springtails and isopods recycle waste. It works in terrariums and in the land section of a paludarium.
If you keep frogs, the line between "rainforest terrarium", "vivarium" and "paludarium" is especially blurry. Our frog vivarium decor works across all three, because roots, moss and leaf litter belong in every humid habitat.
Which enclosure type do your animals need?
| Animal | Enclosure type | Shape | Background style |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bearded dragon, leopard gecko | Desert terrarium | Horizontal | Sandstone, canyon, rock terraces |
| Crested gecko, chameleon | Tropical terrarium / vivarium | Vertical | Roots in soil, climbing structure |
| Dart frogs | Planted rainforest vivarium | Vertical or cube | Roots, soil layers, moss |
| Fire-bellied toads, newts | Paludarium | Horizontal | Wet rock, stream bank, grotto |
| Vampire crabs | Land-focused paludarium | Cube or slightly vertical | Roots and soil to climb |
| Musk and mud turtles | Aquaterrarium | Horizontal, long | Rock with basking ledges |
| Fish and shrimp with bog plants | Riparium | Horizontal | Rock or roots above the water line |
From the workshop: why we always ask which type you are building
"For a vivarium" tells us very little when you order a background. For a desert terrarium we use a different protective coating than for a paludarium, aquaterrarium or riparium, where the background stands in constant humidity or splash water. The humid version can look slightly glossy, which suits wet rock and riverbanks. So please tell us when you order:
- the enclosure type and the planned water line, if there is one;
- whether you want a water basin integrated (as on the Grotto Cave Background), or that space used as a hide or basking platform instead;
- which animals will live there, especially species with sharp claws.
Every piece is handmade, and we send you photos of the finished background before it ships. For humid types, side panels on one or both walls make the habitat feel even more enclosed and natural.
FAQ
Is a vivarium the same as a terrarium?
Every terrarium is a vivarium, but vivarium is the broader term. It also includes paludariums, aquaterrariums and ripariums. In everyday language, especially in the UK, both words are used for reptile enclosures.
Can I turn a terrarium into a paludarium?
Only if the tank is watertight up to your planned water line. Many front-opening terrariums have a low front strip or a vent below the doors, so check before you fill water.
Is an aquaterrarium the same as a paludarium?
They overlap. An aquaterrarium is water-dominated with a functional land area, typically for turtles, while a paludarium gives land and water similar weight and plants the land as a habitat.
Does a riparium need a lid?
Not always. Many ripariums are open so that plants can grow beyond the rim. If you keep jumping fish or shrimp that climb, a partial cover is a good idea.
Whichever type you are planning, the background sets the scene. Browse our terrarium backgrounds and decorations and tell us which habitat you are building, so we can finish your piece with the right coating.