pH
What does pH mean? It means positive hydrogen and potential of hydrogen. Did you know that when a lake or stream gets older the pH becomes affected by it and the chemicals discharge by communities and indrustries? Did you know plants put oxygen in the water? The plants put oxygen in the water during photosynthesis,and while plants are in the action of breathing they remove oxygen from the water. Informal bugs and fungus use oxygen and they decompose dead natural matter in the water.
| pH value | pH value | Effects observed under research |
| Minimum | Maximum | |
| 3.8 | 10.0 | Fish eggs could be hatched but deformed young were often produced |
| 4.0 | 10.1 | Limits for the most resistant fish species |
| 4.1 | 9.5 | Range tolerated by trout |
| 4.3 | -- | Carp died in 5 days |
| 4.5 | 9.0 | Trout eggs and larvae develop normally |
| 4.6 | 9.5 | Limits for perch |
| 5.0 | -- | Limits for stickleback fish |
| 5.0 | 9.0 | Tolerable range for most fish |
| -- | 8.7 | Upper limit for good fishing waters |
| 5.4 | 11.4 | Fish avoided waters beyond these limits |
| 6.0 | 7.2 | Optimum (best) range for fish eggs |
| 1.0 | -- | Mosquito larvae were destroyed at this pH value |
| 3.3 | 4.7 | Mosquito larvae lived within this range |
| 7.5 | 8.4 | Best range for the growth of algea |
Did you know that most lakes are alkaline which means basic when they first form and become more acidic due to the build up of organic matter.
Did you know that most fish can tollerate pH values of about 5.0 to 9.0 but most of the fish prefer 6.5 to 8.2. A majority of lakes and streams fall
withen this range and acid rain compromised many bodies of our water. A pH scale ranges from 0 high gathering of of positive hydrogen ions
strongly acidic to 14 high gathering of negitive hydroxide ion strongly basic. Positive hydrogen ions (H+) and negative hydroxide ions ( OH-) in
water determines how acidic or bacic the water is.
The "+" and "-" are chemical symbols that indicate if the chemical forms are "ions" and if they have a positive or nagative electrical charge. this means the molicule in response is either missing an electron or has another electron,because electrons have an electrical charge the extra one in the OH molicules make OH to OH- and the missing molicule in the H gives it a "missing minus" charge meaning the H change it a H+.
When anylists measure pH they are determined about these ions.