JBL PROAQUATEST LAB water analysis case closed, black box with handle on a white background

JBL PROAQUATEST LAB case open on a white background, the 13 liquid tests in the upper tray and the lower compartment

JBL PROAQUATEST LAB, upper tray of the kit and its 23 reagent bottles

JBL PROAQUATEST LAB kit with its analysis sheets and colour charts spread out

JBL PROAQUATEST CO2 conversion table, to be cross-referenced between pH and KH

JBL ProAquaTest Lab water analysis case, 13 tests for aquarium and pond

Name: JBL ProAquaTest Lab water analysis case, 13 tests for aquarium and pond
Brand: JBL
SKU: J2408400
Price: 114.0 USD
Availability: InStock

$114.00

$38.00 × 3 with no fees Klarna.

The JBL PROAQUATEST LAB brings together 13 drop tests in a single case and covers 12 freshwater parameters, from pH and nitrite to iron and CO2.

Aquarium, pond or aquaponic system, the laboratory comparator block makes the reading reliable even on tinted water. The instructions are multilingual, French included, and the reagents are available as separate refills.

Ref. J2408400·Water test

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The summary

What you receive: the JBL PROAQUATEST LAB case, 13 drop tests, 23 reagent bottles, 12 glass test tubes, a comparator block and a thermometer.
What you measure: 12 freshwater parameters, pH across three ranges, from ammonium to nitrates, from iron to phosphates, from silicates to dissolved oxygen.
How long it takes: 3 to 15 minutes for a single test, around 30 minutes for a full check of all 13 tests.
How to choose: the 6-parameter version is enough if you have no demanding plants, while this one becomes essential as soon as you need to monitor iron and phosphates.
What runs out: the 23 bottles only, sold as refills test by test. The glassware, the comparator block and the thermometer stay.
What is sent to you: a parcel of around 1.9 kg, with the reagents in their original case, delivered to your door by Colissimo or Chronopost.

JBL case of 13 drop tests, 12 parameters, for aquariums, ponds and aquaponics

The JBL PROAQUATEST LAB case brings together 13 drop tests to measure 12 freshwater parameters, from ammonium to nitrates, from iron to phosphates, in an aquarium, pond or aquaponics system. A full analysis takes about 30 minutes. Its comparator block cancels out the tint of the water, which makes readings more reliable in amber-coloured water.

This case brings together 13 drop tests to read 12 freshwater parameters, from ammonium to copper, in half an hour of simple steps. It is for those who want to see an imbalance coming rather than simply note it, because by the time the fish breathe fast at the surface or the plants yellow from the top, it has already been developing for several days. You can use it just as well on an aquarium as on a pond or an aquaponic system.

🔬 Drops and comparator block

Each test relies on a volume of water measured with a syringe, which reacts with a reagent added drop by drop into a glass test tube. The reading is then taken in a comparator block that cancels out the water's own tint, which matters with water stained amber by peat or by a piece of bogwood, where a reading without a blank tube gives a distorted value.

🧪 The 12 parameters measured

The 12 parameters fall into four families. Ammonium, nitrite and nitrate show the true state of the biological filtration, and they are the three values to follow during a start-up and after every incident. pH, KH and GH are read together, since KH stabilises pH, pH determines the share of toxic ammonia, and GH governs the moulting of shrimp. Phosphate, iron and carbon dioxide make up the ration for aquatic plants, and an iron deficiency shows first on the young leaves. Copper, silicates and a lack of oxygen, lastly, explain shrimp losses or brown diatoms whose cause would otherwise remain untraceable.

Rinsing, bottle storage, light

Rinsing the test tubes in tap water rather than tank water skews the phosphate and silicate readings. Laying a dropper bottle on its side lets air in and produces uneven drops, and therefore wrong titrations for KH and GH, whereas the instructions say to hold the nozzle vertically, pointing down. Reading a colour under artificial evening light shifts the nitrite reading. Finally, a measurement taken the day after a medicinal treatment may be skewed by substances still present in the water.

Correcting a low iron reading taken with the test kit

The kit's iron test shows when a supplement becomes necessary, and the form of the chelate then determines whether that iron will stay available to plants. DTPA 11% chelated iron keeps iron in solution up to pH 7.5 without tinting the water, which covers most planted aquariums and aquaponic systems. Measure the iron just after a dose and again 1 to 2 days later: the drop between the two readings shows how quickly the iron disappears from the water, and therefore the interval to leave between doses.

Each colour chart carries three reading bands, identified by a pictogram: the fish for freshwater, the koi carp for the garden pond, the starfish for seawater. The same colour therefore does not give the same verdict depending on the environment, because the recommended values are not the same for freshwater fish, for pond koi and for marine inhabitants. Each band runs from green to yellow and then red, which gives you both the measured value and the action to take.

🕐 One complete testing session

A complete session takes three stages. Draw the water from the middle of the tank, never from the surface or against the sand, because the surface film and the substrate zone give values that do not represent the whole volume. Then run the instant-reading tests while those with a waiting time count down on their timers, which brings the full session down to about thirty minutes. Finally, record the values on the supplied analysis sheet, with the date, the temperature taken with the thermometer in the kit and the last intervention made on the tank. That column of dates is the most useful to you, because a single value is hard to interpret whereas a series spanning 6 weeks shows a trend.

🌿 What changes in aquaponics

In aquaponics, the target values are not those of an aquarium. Nitrates become a resource here, since they are what feed your salad crops, whereas an aquarium keeper tries to bring them down. pH is a balance between two opposing needs, as nitrification is faster in rather alkaline water while roots absorb iron and phosphorus better in rather acidic water. Two parameters then bear directly on your crops, iron and phosphate, and this kit measures both. Yellowing of the young leaves between veins that stay green signals an iron deficiency: without a measurement, you are correcting blind.

🧫 The parameters people overlook

Three of the measurements in this kit are only needed occasionally, when a problem has no obvious cause. Copper often explains losses of invertebrates with no mortality among the fish, whether it comes from an antiparasitic treatment or from old pipework. Silicates feed the brown diatoms that coat the glass of a new tank, and their source is most often the filling water itself. Oxygen, finally, is rarely measured even though its level drops sharply on summer nights in a pond, at the very moment your fish need it most. These three values are therefore not monitored routinely, but when one of these symptoms appears.

♻️ The equipment and the refills

The water-resistant plastic case, the 12 glass test tubes, the syringes, the measuring spoons, the comparator block, the thermometer and the colour charts all stay with you from one year to the next. Only the 23 reagent bottles run out, and they are bought again separately, test by test. The water testing range brings together the most common refills, from pH to nitrates, as well as iron and copper. Check the level in each bottle before a series of tests, since a single empty reagent is enough to block the corresponding parameter.

Technical specifications

The essentials

Parameters measured: 12, with 13 drop testsThe pH is read on three ranges, and the CO2 on a chart cross-referencing the pH and KH you have already measured
Method: Liquid reagents, colorimetric readingThe supplied comparator block cancels out the water's own colour when you take the reading
Environments covered: Freshwater, pond, aquaponicsOne reading strip per medium on each colour chart, seawater included
Reagent bottles: 23, child-resistant capsFrom 1 bottle for KH or iron to 3 bottles for ammonium, silicates and oxygen
Manufacturer's reference: JBL 2408400, PROAQUATEST range
Dimensions of the box: 38.2 x 31.8 x 8.5 cmThe kit stores flat on a shelf, with a handle on top and clip fastenings.

The 13 tests and CO2

pH, wide range: 3.0 to 10.0To place an unknown water on the scale before refining with one of the two narrow ranges
pH, acidic range: 6.0 to 7.65 ml of water, 4 drops, read after 3 minutes
pH, alkaline range: 7.4 to 9.0Hard water, cichlids, koi ponds. 5 ml of water, 4 drops, read after 3 minutes
KH, carbonate hardness: Titration, 1 drop = 1 °dHThat is 1.78 °f, 0.36 mmol per litre of alkalinity or 21.8 mg per litre of hydrogen carbonate
GH, total hardness: Titration, 1 drop = 1 °dHThat is 1.78 °f and 1.25 °e. On 5 ml of water, no colour chart needed
NH4 and NH3, ammonium: Colorimetric, 3 reagentsThe genuinely toxic fraction of ammonia is derived from a table cross-referencing pH and temperature
NO2, nitrites: Colorimetric, 2 reagents5 ml of water, read after 5 minutes. The reference test during cycling
NO3, nitrates: Colorimetric, 2 reagentsPer 10 ml of water. In aquaponics, this is the nitrogen ration for the crops
PO4, phosphates: Sensitive version, 2 reagentsFormulation designed for low concentrations, the ones that decide between plants and algae
Fe, iron: Colorimetric, 1 reagentKey parameter for planted tanks and aquaponic systems
Cu, copper: Colorimetric, 2 reagents5 ml of water, read after 15 minutes. To be checked after a treatment or on old pipework
SiO2, silicates: Colorimetric, 3 reagentsThe lead to follow when brown diatoms keep coming back on the glass
O2, dissolved oxygen: Colorimetric, 3 reagentsOn 20 ml of water drawn without bubbles, the most delicate test in the kit
CO2, carbon dioxide: No reagent, read off the chartThe value is read by cross-referencing pH and KH on the supplied chart

Method of use

Water volume per test: 5 to 20 ml5 ml for pH, KH, GH, nitrites and copper, 10 ml for nitrates, 20 ml for oxygen
Waiting time: 3 to 15 minutes3 minutes for pH 6.0 to 7.6, 5 minutes for nitrite, 15 minutes for copper
Titration tests: KH and GHCount the drops until the colour changes, there is no colour chart for these two tests
Bottle shelf life: Upright, nozzle pointing downNo bubbles, otherwise the drop volume varies and the titration is wrong
Reading: Colour chart, in daylightA warm artificial light shifts the perception of pink and orange shades
Full assessment: About 30 minutesApproximate time for the 13 tests, running the waiting times back to back

To budget for separately

Reagent refills: Sold test by testGlassware, colour charts, comparator block and thermometer are kept: only the reagents run out.
Potassium and magnesium: Separate JBL testsTo follow in aquaponics as soon as the bottom of the plants turns yellow

20 further specifications are available in the detailed view.

In the box

1 water-resistant plastic case, with handle and clip fasteners
13 drop tests, that is 23 reagent bottles with child-resistant caps
12 graduated glass test tubes, so you can run several tests in a row without rinsing
2 plastic test tubes
2 sampling syringes
3 measuring spoons for the powder reagents
1 laboratory comparator block
1 thermometer, needed to convert ammonium into toxic ammonia
1 colour chart set, 3 reading strips per test
1 CO2 conversion chart, with pH and KH entries
1 ballpoint pen and 1 set of test record sheets
1 multilingual instruction leaflet, French included

Contents, dimensions and reference recorded from the official sheet 2408400 on 10/09/2026. The 13 tests cover 11 parameters, with pH over three ranges; CO2 is also read from the chart supplied.

Manufacturer and product safety

Manufacturer: JBL GmbH & Co. KG
Postal address: Dieselstraße 3, 67141 Neuhofen, Allemagne
Contact: info@jbl.de
Website: www.jbl.de

Information provided under Regulation (EU) 2023/988 on general product safety.

Six parameters or twelve?

Both cases use the same drop reagents and the same comparator block. What sets them apart is how much of the picture they let you see.

The six-test kit covers nitrogen, pH and KH It gives pH, KH, nitrite, nitrate, ammonium and CO2 by chart. Total hardness, iron, phosphates, copper, silicates and dissolved oxygen are not included.

	Parameters covered (parameters)	Drop tests included (tests)	Reagent bottles (bottles)	pH, KH, nitrite, nitrate, ammonium and CO2 per chart	GH, total hardness	PO4, phosphates	Fe, iron	Cu, copper	SiO2, silicates	O2, dissolved oxygen	Available pH ranges	Glass test tubes	Sampling syringes	Measuring spoons	Plastic test tubes	Laboratory comparator block	Thermometer	CO2 conversion table	Analysis sheets	Box width (cm)	Box height (cm)	Casing thickness (cm)	Price
6-in-1 Aquarium Water Testing KitYour choice	6 parameters	5 tests	9 bottles	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	Just one, from 3.0 to 10.0	3	1	1	1	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	26,6 cm	22,6 cm	5,2 cm	$59.00
Recommended 13-in-1 kitYour choice	12 parameters	13 tests	23 bottles	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Three, two of them narrow-range	12	2	3	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	38,2 cm	31,8 cm	8,5 cm	$114.00

6-in-1 Aquarium Water Testing Kit

What each kit measures

Parameters covered (parameters)6 parameters

Drop tests included (tests)5 tests

Reagent bottles (bottles)9 bottles

pH, KH, nitrite, nitrate, ammonium and CO2 per chartYes

GH, total hardnessNo

PO4, phosphatesNo

Fe, ironNo

Cu, copperNo

SiO2, silicatesNo

O2, dissolved oxygenNo

Available pH rangesJust one, from 3.0 to 10.0

Equipment supplied

Glass test tubes3

Sampling syringes1

Measuring spoons1

Plastic test tubes1

Laboratory comparator blockYes

ThermometerNo

CO2 conversion tableYes

Analysis sheetsYes

Footprint and budget

Box width (cm)26,6 cm

Box height (cm)22,6 cm

Casing thickness (cm)5,2 cm

13-in-1 kitRecommended

What each kit measures

Parameters covered (parameters)12 parameters

Drop tests included (tests)13 tests

Reagent bottles (bottles)23 bottles

pH, KH, nitrite, nitrate, ammonium and CO2 per chartYes

GH, total hardnessYes

PO4, phosphatesYes

Fe, ironYes

Cu, copperYes

SiO2, silicatesYes

O2, dissolved oxygenYes

Available pH rangesThree, two of them narrow-range

Equipment supplied

Glass test tubes12

Sampling syringes2

Measuring spoons3

Plastic test tubes2

Laboratory comparator blockYes

ThermometerYes

CO2 conversion tableYes

Analysis sheetsYes

Footprint and budget

Box width (cm)38,2 cm

Box height (cm)31,8 cm

Casing thickness (cm)8,5 cm

Parameters covered, equipment supplied and contents of the two kits taken from their official datasheets on 10/09/2026.

Product videos

JBL water tests: how to test correctly and what the advantages are.

Official presentation of the kit, in German

JBL TV 53, mastering water tests and avoiding common mistakes, in German

JBL TV 27, testing aquarium water step by step, in German

Documents & manuals

Official JBL PROAQUATEST instructions

Official JBL manual, multilingual with French. Volumes, drops, waiting times and corrections to apply, parameter by parameter.

PDF · 3,3 Mo

Download

Estimate your
delivery time

2.11 kg parcel, shipped within 48 hours by Colissimo or Chronopost to your home, as you choose during payment. The exact cost is shown in the basket. Once unsealed, this product cannot be returned under the right of withdrawal (article L221-28, 5° of the French Consumer Code), for reasons of hygiene and health protection.

Frequently asked questions

10 questions

6 key questions, 10 in the detailed view

This 13-in-1 case or the 6-in-1 kit?

There are three cases, in the following order.

With fish only and easy plants, the 6-in-1 case covers the nitrogen cycle, pH, KH and CO2. That is enough.
With demanding plants, shrimp, a pond or an aquaponic system, four tests become decisive and are missing from the short version: iron, phosphates, dissolved oxygen and silicates.
After a treatment or with old pipework, the copper test is added to the list, and this kit includes it.

How often should you test your aquarium water?

During cycling, test for ammonium and nitrite every day, until both drop to zero and nitrate appears. The full process is described in the article on the nitrogen cycle.
On an established system, one full set of tests a month is enough.
After an event, check nitrite within 48 hours of adding fish, a die-off, a pump failure, a treatment or a deep clean of the filter media.
In a pond, in summer: add an oxygen check during heatwaves.

How many tests can you run with this kit?

Is it suitable for a complete beginner?

Yes, as long as you read the instructions carefully once: each test comes down to drawing a volume of water with the syringe, adding the stated number of drops, waiting 3 to 15 minutes depending on the test, then comparing the colour.

Two tests call for a little more care, oxygen and silicates, because they involve three reagents in sequence with waiting times to observe. The comparator block, for its part, avoids the most common beginner's mistake: reading a colour distorted by the natural tint of cloudy or amber-coloured water.

Is this set suitable for a garden pond or a marine aquarium?

For a pond, yes, and it is intended for that: each colour chart carries a reading band marked with a koi carp pictogram, with its own thresholds. The recommendations differ from indoor freshwater because a pond undergoes far greater variations in temperature and light, a point explained in the guide on pond algae in summer.

In seawater, several tests remain readable thanks to the third band on the colour chart, but a reef tank requires parameters specific to the saline environment that this case does not contain. For a marine tank, choose the marine version of the range.

Can it be used on an aquaponic system?

This is one of the uses where it helps most, because an aquaponic system means monitoring two populations with opposing needs.

Ammonium and nitrite: toxic to fish, so they must stay at zero.
Nitrate: it measures what is actually available to the crops.
Iron and phosphates: they explain the leaf deficiencies.
pH and KH: they determine whether these minerals can be absorbed by the roots.

Do the reagents expire?

Yes, like any chemical reagent, and a bottle that has been opened ages faster than a sealed one because air gets in.

The reliable guide is how the test itself behaves: a reagent whose reference colour has turned brown, or which gives inconsistent results from one session to the next on water that has not changed, should be replaced rather than interpreted. Reagents should be stored in a dry place, at room temperature and in their original packaging.

How do you read the CO2 value without a reagent?

Measure the pH using the fine range suited to your water.
Measure the KH by titration, counting the drops.
Cross-reference the two values on the supplied chart: the cell where they intersect gives the carbon dioxide concentration.

This method assumes that the acidity of the water comes from dissolved CO2, which is the case in the vast majority of freshwater aquariums, but not in strongly peaty water or just after adding a chemical acidifier.

What precautions should you take with the reagents?

The bottles have child-resistant caps and the case closes securely, but several reagents carry official hazard statements. The most severe are:

KH, nitrite 1, nitrate, ammonium 2, phosphate 2 and the three oxygen bottles: H314 and H318, severe burns and eye damage;
nitrate 2: H341, suspected of causing genetic defects;
ammonium 3: H225, highly flammable liquid, and H336, may cause drowsiness or dizziness;
pH, GH, nitrite 2 and copper 2: H226, flammable liquid, and H319, serious eye irritation.

Keep the bottles out of reach of children, avoid contact with the eyes, rinse thoroughly in case of splashes and keep the original label to show to a doctor. Never pour the contents left in a test tube back into the aquarium.

Do you need a thermometer to interpret the ammonium reading?

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JBL ProAquaTest Lab water analysis case, 13 tests for aquarium and pond

The summary