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actually it will depend on several factors, not only the actual volume of the acid added, but the concentration and the pKa of that acid and the pH of the water column. As acetic acid (vinegar's primary organic acid) has a relatively weak pKa, the extent that Le Chatelier's principle will drive the conversion of bicarbonate/carbonate buffer to CO2, or carbonate---> bicarbonate will depend on the amount of acid added, rather than just on the amount of ionization of the acid (the pKa, here, it is the strength of the acid's ability to provide protons to the solution, and for acetic acid, it is relatively low at a seawater pH of 8.5) Rather than deplete the alkalinity buffer resent in the water column, just stop supplementing it and add calcium only for a bit, and perform water changes as Kevin has already suggested. Although the conversion of bicarbonate is not the end of the reaction, it is the first step, and progression of the reaction wil totally depend on the concentration of CO2 in the water, CO2 in the atmosphere, the amount of buffer present in the water column, and the actual pH of the seawater. |
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