A vivarium (Latin for 'place of life'; pl. vivaria or vivariums) is an area, usually enclosed, for keeping and raising animals or plants for observation or research. Water-based vivaria may have open tops providing they are not connected to other water bodies. An animal enclosure is considered a vivarium only if it provides quality of life through naturalistic components such as ample living space and natural decor that allow and encourage natural behaviours. Often, a portion of the ecosystem for a particular species is simulated on a smaller scale, with controls for environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity and light.
A vivarium may be small enough to sit on a desk or table, such as a terrarium or an aquarium, or may be a very large structure, possibly outdoors. Large vivaria, particularly those holding organisms capable of flight, typically include some sort of a dual-door mechanism such as a sally port for entry and exit, so that the outer door can be closed to prevent escape before the inner door is opened.
Types
Some vivaria can be subcategorized according to the habitat or lifeforms enclosed within. A vivarium that contains multiple components may be named according to its primary component, or simply called a vivarium. Each subcategory can refer to either an individual enclosure, or a facility that encompasses numerous like enclosures.
Goldfish in an aquarium
An aquarium (aqua = water) is a water-filled enclosure housing aquatic plants and/or animals such as fish. A bioactive aquarium would additionally house micro-organisms such as beneficial bacteria, and janitor animal species such as caridean shrimp, boxer shrimp, algae-eating snails and burrowing snails. At least one side of an aquarium is glazed to allow viewing of the aquatic habitat from the side as though viewing from underwater. Aquaria are further subcategorized by temperature (cold water, tropical) and salinity (freshwater, brackish, marine).
