I know there are a few members here who are close enough to join us. Hope to see you there.
Here's Ken's bio and a summary of what he will be speaking about. Ken told me he will probably have some frags for sale too, so check
www.fragswapper.com if you want some corals from him. I got some off Ken the last swap and he has top quality stuff.
Ken Feldman
Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University
Ken Feldman was born and raised in Miami Beach, Florida, where a proximity to, and an affinity for, the Atlantic Ocean dominated his early years. Days (mis?)spent fishing and snorkeling fostered a keen interest in all things marine, a fascination that continues today. In 2004, that interest finally culminated in a plunge into the marine aquarium hobby, and today he is the caretaker of a 175-gallon reef tank housing a host of fish and corals whose behaviors continue to educate him on a daily basis. He is joined in his aquarium avocation by his daughter Leah, who has been instrumental in aquascaping the tank, as well as in choosing both fish and corals.
Ken has a day job as well – Professor of Chemistry at the Pennsylvania State University. He spends his aquarium down-time focusing on teaching and research in the area of Organic Chemistry. He has published numerous articles on the organic chemistry of molecules found in the reef environment, particularly from sponges. Currently, his research interests include (a) devising the means to synthesize sponge- and coral-derived metabolites that elicit promising chemotherapeutic responses against some cancers and against some immune system malfunctions, and (b) to elucidate the molecular mechanism by which these biological properties are manifest.
Dissolved Organic Carbon: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Ken Feldman, Pennsylvania State University
Tracking the fate of organic carbon through the marine aquarium can provide insight into the role that this essential but often neglected nutrient plays in the successful husbandry of the tank's inhabitants. Photosynthesizing organisms like phytoplankton and the corals shown below produce DOC from inorganic CO2. This DOC, in excess, may contribute to coral mortality as illustrated. Thus, a means for excess DOC removal become paramount for successful aquarium husbandry. Protein skimming plays a major role in this necessary maintenance function. A discussion of acceptable levels of DOC in marine aquaria will follow. The development of a quantitative assay for measuring protein skimmer performance in removing DOC, as illustrated in the graph below, will be described. This latter advance enables (a) assaying the effects of either gas flow velocity or liquid flow velocity on skimmer performance, and (b) direct comparison of different skimmers in terms of their efficiency of DOC removal from aquarium water. Data on all of these points will be presented.
Linear Mode
