BryceM

Introduction:
Hello, my name is Michaël Leroy (Kirua 666). I'm French and 19 years old. I live in Bruyères le Châtel, a little village about 40 kilometers from Paris. I am currently an Economics student and I spend Sundays working in an aquarium store. My first aquarium at the age of 15 was a 60 liter tank with classical "newbie" fish like guppies. My interest in planted tanks was quickly aroused when I first saw Dutch tanks, but the challenge appeared difficult at first, and it was two years before I finally tried a real planted aquarium.

My first attempt at a planted tank was a 240 liter setup inspired by the Dutch style but the result wasn't very good. I then learned of Takashi Amano. It was a real shock when I first saw his beautiful creations. At that moment I realized that I had discovered a real passion! I began my first Amano-inspired tank at my aquarium store as a display tank and other creations followed.


Nature is Bleeding

The Tank:
First of all, the title was selected to represent an exaggerated, choking red thicket with an obvious environmental connotation. I wanted to make this a simple presentation with an extraordinarily red thicket for a centerpiece. The white panel background helps to emphasize the incredible color of the Ludwigia and Nesaea.

The tank doesn't represent a true Nature Tank or a Dutch tank, but is a combination of the two styles. I had the idea to let the plants grow to the surface to accentuate the blood effect that I sought.

The second challenge was to find a way to create a sense of depth without wasting the impact of the red thicket. Finally, my last challenge was to create a relatively natural environment in spite of the dominant red color. I tried to achieve this with Microsorum pteropus, Sagittaria subulata, and the driftwood.





Tank Specs:
Dimensions: 125 liters (33 US gallons) - 80cm x 35cm x 45cm
Age: 8 months currently, but 3 months at the time of the photo
Lighting: 2x18W T8 (10,000K & 4,000K) + 2x24W T5 (4,000K) = 2.54 wpg
Substrate: Deponit mix Dennerele + Black quartz
Plants: Sagittaria subulata, Glossostigma elatinoides, Rotala sp 'Green', Cryptocroyne wendtii 'Brown', Microsorum pteropus, Rotala sp 'Nanjenshan', Ludwigia repens 'Rubin', and Nesaea crassicaulis.
Fish: Paracheirodon axelrodi (cardinal tetras), Sphaerichthys osphromenoides (chocolate gourami),
nannostomus eques (pencilfish), Otocinclus affinis, Crossocheilus siamensis, and Cardinia japonica.
Filtration: Eheim 2213
CO2: JBL Set Easy 2 - 500g bottle (1 bps)
Heating: 100W, substrate
Fertilizer: Dennerle S7 VitaMix + Dennerele V30 + Dennerele E15. Dosed once per week
Water Change: 20% per week

Other creations:

240 liter tank


cubique

Final Words:
I am very honored to have this tank chosen for the "Tank of the Month" series. I would like to thank Jean-Philippe for his help at the store, Nicolas and Pierre for their help with plants such as the Rotala species, and all of the French aquascaping community, including Dimitri Roger (November 2006 TOTM). Please refer to the website: http://www.paysages-aquatiques.com/inc.php. Thank you.

BryceM

Congratulations to Michaël for creating and sharing this tank with us. I would assume that plant sales at his store have benefited tremendously. I selected this tank for presentation because of the unique usage of red to create a stunning focal point. The other photos demonstrate the remarkable talent of this French 19 year-old. Surely there will be many more 'scapes to come.

dstephens

Wow, beautiful series of tanks. Having a glimpse at all 3 tanks that are displayed as part of the background story is that Michael knows how to grow beautiful plants and how to use them strategically to create the kind of impact he is hoping for with the final design. I think you were able to create the huge splash of red that you hoped for without distracting from a more natural look that you wanted to maintain overall. Very nice work and thanks for sharing.

I don't know if past tank of the month features have gone on to display perhaps 3-4 of the focus artists tanks, but I enjoyed being able to see other layouts he had created in the past. I would think the vast majority of aquatic plant growers have anywhere from 2-3 tanks going at once or have completed others in the past that have been preserved through photos. Hope to see more like this in the future.

Thanks

Kookaburra

Hi Mickael,
It is a beautiful achievement for you !
This article speaks only about one of your tanks, the others are also wonderful!
"Vive la france"
Kookaburra.

LindaC

What a lovely tank! Just when I'm ready to throw in the towel and say enough, I see what you have accomplished and it only makes me want to push on and try harder with my tanks.

Thank you for sharing your work with APC, you are truely an inspiration!

kirua 666

Thank you very much for all your comments!
I'm very happy to be TOTM, thanks to guaiac for his help about the english lol !

Michael.

longhornxtreme

Tres bien! I'd write more in French if I wasn't afraid of embarassing myself. Love the tank. Keep it up!

pyramid

Is this tank in top 100 of ADA 2007? the color of trees so great.

kirua 666

Hello pyramid, I just present my 240 liters for ada 2007 ( It's my first participation) and I am 87th ! Its a good result for me because my photo is so bad...