Alk balance

[DonW]

I know when we test alk were just doing a ph test to determine how much acid it take to hit a endpoint. This give us a total for carbonate and bicarbonate. Is it possible for the portions of the two to be skewed and cause a ph issue.

Don

 

[MikeS]

Hmmm....I don't see how a skew in carbonate/bicarbonate ratios in total alkalinity would cause an actual pH issue, but that's just a guess...

heres a good article on alkalinity and how carbonate and bicarbonate react...

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2002/chemistry.htm

MikeS