What is a Terrarium? Basically its the "Terrestrial" form of an aquarium. An aquarium is an aquatic Micro ecosystem, while a terrarium is a Land Micro Ecosystem. The Word Ecosystem refers to any system that contains living and non living elements which interact with each other. Therefore in an ecosystem we have Autotrophs, heterotrophs, prey, predator, etc. Basically the place we live in is an ecosystem in itself. Now when we make an ecosystem and confine it to a small space, like a tank or a bowl, we get a micro ecosystem. And the term Vivarium is a common term for both an aquatic or a terrestrial system.
Micro-ecosystems are really interesting. Firstly, we get to design our own little environment, and later on watch how the ecosystem grows, thrives, and evolves in its own time. In other words we get a god point of view of the ecosystem. By this we learn about different creatures and their characteristics. It's great fun if your looking at it as a hobby, or even from a learning perspective.
Having such hobbies as building stuff, music, exploring etc., can really help people beat negative feelings like depression, anger, and frustration.
As a beginner I constructed a small Vivarium inside a fish bowl. I added some seeds, ants and a spider to kick start the ecosystem :-). The seeds took about 3 days to sprout, and the ants took about the same time to adjust. This is just an example of a Basic ecosystem and as a beginner i hope to learn more about how to build and sustain a more complex and bigger ecosystem.
Micro-ecosystems are really interesting. Firstly, we get to design our own little environment, and later on watch how the ecosystem grows, thrives, and evolves in its own time. In other words we get a god point of view of the ecosystem. By this we learn about different creatures and their characteristics. It's great fun if your looking at it as a hobby, or even from a learning perspective.
Having such hobbies as building stuff, music, exploring etc., can really help people beat negative feelings like depression, anger, and frustration.
As a beginner I constructed a small Vivarium inside a fish bowl. I added some seeds, ants and a spider to kick start the ecosystem :-). The seeds took about 3 days to sprout, and the ants took about the same time to adjust. This is just an example of a Basic ecosystem and as a beginner i hope to learn more about how to build and sustain a more complex and bigger ecosystem.
The above picture was taken when I just finished the Setup. It took some time for the plants to grow.
This is another style of a Vivarium I made with the Same Boul, about a week Later. I was planing to Grow an Island in the centre and Then Put some Guppies in the Water Around.
Tips -
- If you plan to house ants or other crawling insects in your Vivarium, you can rub some Petroleum Jelly(preferred) or coconut oil(Not preferred) around the top area of the Setup, which will prevent your bugs from escaping.
- If you plan to house reptiles and/or tropical plants, you can install a mister with a timer to help replicate the tropical climate.
- Keep experimenting with different things to make your Vivarium more realistic, thus making it pleasing to us as well as the creatures that live in it. eg., try building a water fall with a simple pump and some rocks, try building hideouts for the various creatures housed in your vivarium to prevent them from getting stressed, etc.,
Some Really beautiful Vivariums (please do check them out)
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