Re: R O Right or ??

[Barry Cooper <bjc3 at cornell_edu>]

Bob,

As you know, you can buffer a solution to essentially any pH. The standard 
buffers that I used in the lab, when I had one, to calibrate the pH meter 
were pH 4.0, pH 7.0 and pH 10.0.

Sodium silicates (I use the term silicates because it is probably a mix of 
silcates rather than a single salt) are salts of a strong base and a very 
weak acid, producing a very alkaline solution. The solution is a buffer 
because it can take up added hydrogen ions and resist a change in pH. As a 
consequence of that I can bubble the water for many days and still not drop 
the pH below pH 8. Without adding a strong acid I have never seen the water 
in my tanks drop below about 8. I can force it below 8 using muriatic 
(hydrochloric) acid.

I believe that other salts are important to the health of plants, including 
potassium. My modest success with plants now is not due to iron alone, 
because I had been adding that before I started using the Equilibrium.

A full analysis of my well water was published in the JAKA series of 
articles edited by Lee Harper. My water is close to distilled, with the 
addition of sodium silicates.

By the way, I also have diatoms (brown "algae"grow on the glass in my fresh 
water tanks.

Barry

At 04:34 PM 3/19/2003 -0500, you wrote:
>Barry, I didn't understand the relationship of silicates to buffering. It
>sounds as though your water isn't buffered at all, if you have such a high
>pH, but I didn't think silica caused that. Do you have silicate hydroxides in
>the water? That is pretty strange.  I also have well water, and it too is so
>high in silicates that I can't keep a reef tank due to the overgrowth of
>diatoms on everything. If you're getting good plant growth now, it's either
>the buffering that brought down your pH or iron in the additive, I suspect. I
>could ask if there's a cheaper alternative than the additive, but whatever
>works is the point. I sometimes get my ears perked up when people talk about
>commercial brand names without respect to what is in them and in what way
>they rationally solve a problem. I hadn't kept up with this thread, so I
>guess I'm playing catch-up. - Bob
>
>Robert J. Goldstein, Ph.D.
>Robert J. Goldstein & Associates, Inc.
>Environmental Consultants
>8480 Garvey Drive
>Raleigh, NC 27616 USA
>tel  (919) 872-1174
>fax (919) 872-9214
>URL   www.rjgaCarolina.com
>e-mail  rgoldstein at rjgaCarolina_com
>
>
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Barry J. Cooper, Prof. Emeritus, Dept. Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University
Adjunct faculty, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University
Home address: 27505 Riggs Hill Rd., Sweet Home, OR 97386 (bjc3 at cornell_edu)


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