thanks rainman and ewest.
you are exactly right. i was just trying to oversimplify my buffer explanation. the dolomite or ag lime is a mixture of ca, mg and carbonate. the acid produced by the fish etc displaces the mg and ca in a chemical reaction. it then binds to the carbonate. therefore, it helps keep the pH more stable. i did think about liming the ditch. it could only help.
question:
have people had success with liming from the banks of the pond? this would be more economical than distributing it from a barge boat.
