unfortunately, the source you give is confused.
first of all, it doesnt take a lot of hydrogen ions to have the pH drop. In
distilled water there is no "buffer" so just a slight excess of H+ ions sends pH
spiraling downward. When there is a buffer present, the excess H+ hydrogen is
neutralized. The purpose of a buffer is to "resist" changes in the pH.
And rise in pH is due to an excess of OH- or hydroxide ions. Again, in distilled
water it doesnt take much OH to make the pH climb. And the buffer resist the change
in pH by neutralizing the excess OH-.
http://members.aol.com/BearFlag45/Bi...eviews/ph.html

The major source of CO2 in water is from the air. Rotting vegetation will put CO2
into the water because it is one end product of bacterial action. A plant that is
submerged will use up CO2 during the day and put out oxygen. At night it uses up
oxygen and puts out some CO2, but much less than it is using unless the plant is dead
and decaying. Plants that only have their roots in the water will not even put that
much CO2 into the water. CO2 cannot dissolve endlessly in water. At around pH 6.4 no
more net CO2 will dissolve in water it just goes in as a gas to a limited extent.
that is, it enters a steady state with CO2 going into solution and coming out of
solution at the same rate. Fish can do fine at pH 6.4.

What pushes the pH down below around pH 6.4 is the presence of organic acids. Dead
plant matter and feces that are undergoing anaerobic digestion by bacteria will
result in partially digested organic breakdown products. These are acidic and can
continue to build up as long as there are bacteria that can live at those acid
conditions. When there is an abundance of oxygen where bacteria are "working" they
will break organic matter down to CO2 and H2O plus other non-toxic compound.

Organic dolomitic limestone is a good source of buffer having both calcium and
magnesium. Oyster shells have almost no magnesium
http://www.eggcartons.com/item653.htm which is one reason they are used as grit for
chickens --- magnesium evidently inhibits egg laying. I put the ground up organic
limestone loose in my filter where it is dissolved as needed. Not everything that is
lime is safe. There are limes that are unstable and cause pH to swing up and down,
there are limes that just keep going into solution to high pH and kill fish.. like
quick lime. So always, always try a handful of the lime material in a gallon of tank
or pond water and test the pH over a couple days to make absolutely sure it is safe
to use.

When baking soda is put into acidic water CO2 is liberated. Put a LOT of baking soda
into a very acidic water and a LOT of CO2 is generated which means that until that
CO2 has time to out gas and leave the water it is very toxic to the fish. Fish are
no different than we are. We cannot have high levels of CO2 in the air even if there
is plenty of oxygen. Fish cannot have high levels of CO2 in the water even if there
is oxygen. It is important to slowly add the baking soda WITH plenty of aeration.
It is the aeration that moves the CO2 out of the water. Vigorous aeration that
breaks the surface speeds the release of excess CO2.

And the big point should be that it isnt just the increase in CO2, it is the lack of
oxygen in a system that results in the accumulation of organic acids that leads to
acidosis and death in fish. So this is why bare bottom tanks are so good. There is
no where for rotting organics to accumulate and be broken down anaerobically. Well,
unless the filter is a closed system. One reason I like my hang over the back
Whispers is the filter is open to the air.

You did right in raising the pH but with aeration you could have raised it much
faster. Changing the pH from acid to pH 7.0 will not cause big problems. They dont
undergo the same kind of shock as going from acid to alkaline, or alkaline to acid.
Baking soda is a temporary fix. You need to get the hardness up, a good buffering
system established. Ingrid


"Kodiak" wrote:
You also missed that i raised the PH slowly
over a 24 hour period, first 12 hours with a 50%
water, and another 12 hours with the soda.
I guess you also missed that the soda made the fish
much happier. If I took your advice, and that would be do
nothing when your PH crashes, my fish would probably
all be dead by now and i would be a happy camper NOT!...
read this....

http://www.koivet.com/html/articles/...ater%20Quality

...Kodiak


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