Iv’e been asked what is the difference and what is this or that? So I’m going to break it on down. There are differences, but they all are almost the same principal.
The aquarium is something we all have seen and are most familiar with. Why does our tank have glass sides and some rocks in the bottom? There’s no need for that any longer. Theres planty of ways to decorate it.
The terrarium is probably the second most familiar. Those who have kept frogs and salamanders especially. The tank has some wookland or desert features here and there. Generally it is sealed so that we keep the humidity in. In the old days this was a Wardian Case and plants and flowers were mainly kept in them.
And last but not least, however the least known, is the paludarium. A paludarium is a display that has water for fish and also plants. In general, they are separated off. The two may be tied together often with a common water source where a pump takes the water up to a waterfall or something similar.
There you have the short of it. Its up to you to decide what kind of display you might want to make now. Enjoy, and be creative.