I've tried to read a bit about how pH determines which form carbon takes when dissolved, whether CO2/acid, bicarbonate or carbonate.
It came close to my knowledge limit for chemistry, but in the end I feel that I got the grasp of it, except that I still couldn't figure if this is relevant at all for aquariums.
That is because I couldn't find information on the dynamics of this equilibrium. Does any one know the order of magnitude for the time it takes for CO2 to turn into bicarbonate or carbonate at higher pH levels? When we inject gas at the rate that we do, and it is either nearly immediately consumed or degassed, does it really form bicarbonates in a relevant rate?
I have seen a substrate manufacturer announcing that its ability to reduce pH would mean that more CO2 is made available.
It came close to my knowledge limit for chemistry, but in the end I feel that I got the grasp of it, except that I still couldn't figure if this is relevant at all for aquariums.
That is because I couldn't find information on the dynamics of this equilibrium. Does any one know the order of magnitude for the time it takes for CO2 to turn into bicarbonate or carbonate at higher pH levels? When we inject gas at the rate that we do, and it is either nearly immediately consumed or degassed, does it really form bicarbonates in a relevant rate?
I have seen a substrate manufacturer announcing that its ability to reduce pH would mean that more CO2 is made available.