Inspiration 01
Forest
Lush vegetation, layered greenery and the feeling of being immersed in a tropical forest.
What is a Microcosmos?
More than an aquarium.
A small ecosystem at home.
A Microcosmos is an aquarium that works as a small ecosystem, designed for your space.
Plants clean the water, bacteria in the substrate break down waste, shrimp and snails tidy up, and the fish bring movement. Every part has a job.
A system like this needs little intervention and stays stable for years. It doesn't stand still, though: plants grow, new life appears, and that makes it a pleasure to watch.
The idea
A system that finds
its own balance.
A healthy aquarium runs on balance: enough plants, the right inhabitants, and time.
I make sure the basics are right: a substrate where bacteria can settle, lots of plants that take up the nutrients, and inhabitants that suit each other and the tank.
Then I let the system do its work. In the first months it grows towards a balance. That takes patience, but then you have an aquarium that stays stable without constant adjusting.
What looks beautiful on day one looks different a year later, and often even better. In the journal I follow how my own tanks evolve.
01Water
The medium connecting everything.
02Plants
Growth, structure and transformation.
03Substrate
A foundation for roots and microbial life.
04Microorganisms
The invisible engine of the ecosystem.
05Invertebrates
Grazers, recyclers and inhabitants.
06Fish
Movement, behaviour and character.
Inspiration
Where would you
like to go?
A Microcosmos can take many forms. These images are visual interpretations created to explore different directions — they are inspiration, not photographs of existing projects.
Inspiration 02
Littoral
The meeting of land and water — roots, vegetation, open water and natural transitions.
Inspiration 03
Blackwater
Darker waters, natural tannins, wood and the quiet, mysterious atmosphere of tropical rivers.
Inspiration 04
Your own little world
Start with a place, a memory, an ecosystem — or simply a feeling.
From idea to ecosystem
Designed around
your world.
Getting to know each other
We start with a free, no-obligation conversation and a visit to your space. Where will it live, what is the light like, and what do you want to feel when you look at it?
Design and proposal
I make a design with a first proposal. Together we refine it into a detailed proposal: layout, materials, plants and inhabitants.
Build and installation
I build everything as one coherent system, from substrate to planting. Count on about 6 to 10 weeks, mainly depending on the delivery of the aquarium.
The ecosystem comes to life
After the handover, the system settles and keeps growing. Over 2 to 3 months, the fish are added.
How we can work together
What I do,
and what you choose.
For the care after the handover, you choose how involved you want to be.
Always included: design · composition · build
I take care of it
With a monthly service contract, I do all the maintenance. You simply enjoy it and only feed the fish.
You care, I help
You look after it yourself. If you have questions or need a hand, you call on me whenever needed, on a time-and-materials basis.
Tailored
For unusual spaces, large installations, a paludarium or a very specific idea, we find the right approach together.
My work
My own aquariums.
These aquariums are in my own home, in my atelier. Some have been running for years.
From the journal
Latest from the journal.
How my aquariums grow and change, from start-up to a stable ecosystem.
About
It started with
a goldfish bowl.
My first aquarium was a bowl of goldfish, won at the fair when I was five. I've never stopped since.
This summer I started Microcosmos Atelier to help others to an aquarium that stays healthy for years.
More about me
Contact
Do you have a place in mind?
You don't need to know exactly what you want yet. Tell me about your space and your idea, and we'll look at what's possible together.
Start a conversation