To answer this question for new hobbyists, you have to know the one thing they have in common. And that is, they contain life. Their difference, however, depends on whose life are they preserving. Below will introduce you to their unique aspects and therefore, shall also give you an idea of what to purchase.
Their use
Coming from their Latin root words, the “aqua” in aquarium means water and “terra” in terrarium means land. From this, you could already understand their functions. Aquarium is meant for water creatures while terrarium is for land creatures.
There are special occurrences wherein aquariums are used to shelter land creatures. This is possible but it depends. To brief you, the factors that you need to think about are the dryness and the temperature inside the aquarium. We’ll discuss that for another time.
The quality of their materials
For aquariums, you need to contain 100% of water inside. Thus, an aquarium should be built to hold water and sealed to keep water creatures from jumping out of the container and even from breaking the glass.
On the other hand, terrariums are not built to contain water. Besides, this will typically contain plants and land creatures - mostly reptiles such as snakes and scorpions. It does not need to be waterproof because you want to have air circulating inside instead of water.
Their height
Aquariums may come a little taller than terrariums. However, there are special aquariums that are built a lower in order to shelter water creatures that are long in size.
Terrariums are always low because snakes typically need space that is twice longer than its own body. Although, reptiles - often lizards - are much smaller and can live better in a smaller environment.
Their weight
As terrariums are not built to hold water pressure, they are made from thin glasses. If you notice terrarium kits for desktops, they are usually just medium-sized jars with no covers and weighs about 1.8 kilograms.
For big or nano aquariums, they require desktops that could carry their weight because, aside from the weight of the water, the glasses are thick and waterproof. This will usually weigh around 9.5 kilograms.
The attention they need
Unless you are looking to get reptiles or any land creature as pets, terrariums do not often need your overall attention. They are mostly easier to sustain if you provide them what they need when you make them.
Aquariums, on the other hand, cannot be self-sustaining because the creatures need to be fed two or three times a week to survive. Although there have been some attempts to make them self-sustaining, there are too many factors to consider like temperature, light, water chemistry.
Now that you are more than acquainted with aquariums and terrariums, this would help you start your little ecosystem project. If you are convinced that terrariums would be a better option for you, you can purchase a desktop terrarium kit at Bokkusu Kei. Find more options at their website https://bokkusu.online/.
