JBL ProAquaTest CombiSet Plus NH4 test kit case, closed, with the pH, KH, NO2, NO3, CO2 and NH4 parameters shown on the front

JBL ProAquaTest CombiSet case open: reagent bottles, test tubes, syringe, colour comparator block, and colour charts

Interior of a JBL ProAquaTest kit case viewed close up, reagent bottles, test tubes and measuring syringe

Measuring ammonium with a JBL ProAquaTest kit, test tubes placed on the colour chart alongside the reagent bottles

JBL ProAquaTest CombiSet colour comparator chart – nitrogen cycle parameter readings for aquariums

6-in-1 Aquarium Water Testing Kit

Name: 6-in-1 Aquarium Water Testing Kit
Brand: JBL
SKU: 1
Price: 50.0 USD
Availability: InStock

$50.00

(22 avis)

This kit brings together five drop tests to measure pH, KH, ammonium, nitrite and nitrate, and an additional chart gives CO2 readings. The reagents, glassware, syringe, comparator block and colour charts are all included in the case.

The kit allows you to monitor a system day by day during start-up, then carry out routine checks on an aquarium, a pond or an aquaponic system.

7/7 customer service by e-mail

Payment in instalments, free of charge

The summary

What you receive: a set of 5 drop tests, 9 reagent bottles, 3 glass test tubes, a syringe and a colour comparator block.
What you measure: pH, KH, ammonium, nitrite and nitrate, plus CO2 read from a chart, without reagent.
How long it takes: 2 minutes for KH, 17 minutes for ammonium, including waiting times.
Suitable for: a first aquarium, a pond, an aquaponic system where monitoring focuses on nitrogen and pH.
What gets used up: the 9 bottles only. The glassware, syringe, comparator block and colour charts remain.
What is dispatched to you: the sealed kit, reagents in their original housing.

JBL box of 5 drop tests covering the nitrogen cycle, pH and KH

Clear water tells you nothing about what is happening beneath the surface. Between the moment ammonium starts to accumulate and the moment fish are hanging at the surface, several days can pass with no visible sign. This kit gives you the five measurements that make those days readable, using drop reagents and a laboratory colour comparator block rather than a strip dipped in for two seconds.

🧪 The six parameters in the kit

Five drop tests cover pH, KH, ammonium, nitrite, and nitrate. The sixth parameter, carbon dioxide, uses no reagent at all, as it is read from a table that cross-references the pH and KH readings you have just taken. The 9 bottles are distributed as follows: three for ammonium, two for nitrite, two for nitrate, one for pH, and one for KH. The first three are sufficient to monitor the nitrogen cycle from day one through to stabilisation.

⏱️ How a session unfolds

Sample

Fill the test tube in the middle of the tank, never at the surface or against the substrate. Rinse it first with tank water.

Dose

Count the drops into 5 ml of water, 10 ml for nitrate, swirling after each reagent is added.

Wait

KH turns immediately; pH and nitrite take 5 minutes; nitrate 10; ammonium 15.

Read

Place the test tube in the comparator block and read the colour against the shade card in natural daylight.

Three mistakes that skew the reading

Rinsing glassware under the tap leaves residues that skew readings for some time, whereas rinsing with water from the tank costs nothing. Laying a dropper bottle on its side lets air in and produces irregular drops, giving a false KH titration: always hold the tip vertically downwards. Finally, reading a colour under a warm bulb shifts your perception of greens and blues, which particularly affects nitrite and pH readings.

The refills that run out first

Nitrite and ammonium are the two reagents you go through during a start-up, because they are the ones you reach for every day. The nitrite reagent refill and the ammonium refill use exactly the same bottles, without the glassware or colour charts you already have. Pick them up together if you are cycling a new tank, so you are not left short during the week when the readings matter most.

This kit covers the nitrogen cycle and the acid-base balance, but leaves aside what plants actually live on. Iron, phosphate, and total hardness are not included, so yellowing foliage with veins that remain green will not find its explanation here. If your crops matter as much as your fish, the 14-in-1 test kit adds these parameters, while the iron test alone complements this one for considerably less money.

🌱 Nitrogen in aquaponics

In aquaponics, these five values are not read the same way as in an aquarium. Nitrate becomes a resource here, feeding your lettuce, whereas an aquarist wants to drive it down. Ammonium and nitrite remain the two figures to watch every day until the biofilter has established, and KH tells you whether your pH will hold through the week. That's why the start-up of a system depends on daily measurements over three weeks. The day nitrite drops back to zero while nitrate rises, your biological filtration has cycled.

🔁 How often to take readings

The frequency changes as the system matures, and that is what makes this kit economical in everyday use. During the first three weeks, a daily reading of ammonium and nitrite is warranted, as these are the two values that can kill within 48 hours. Once the cycle is established, a weekly reading of all five parameters is sufficient, and a monthly reading is adequate for a stable, lightly stocked tank. Return to daily testing after any medication course, a filter clean, or the arrival of new fish, as these are the three situations in which the bacterial population can drop sharply in a short space of time.

Technical specifications

The essentials

Parameters measured: pH, KH, NO2, NO3, NH4, CO2CO2 uses no reagent; it is read from a chart cross-referencing the pH and KH.
Drop tests included: 5, or 9 bottlesThree bottles for ammonium, two for nitrite, two for nitrate, one for pH, one for KH
Method: Liquid reagents, colorimetric readingThe comparator block supplied cancels out the natural tint of the water at the point of reading
Media covered: Freshwater, pond, aquaponicsEach colour chart has a reading strip for each type of water
Cabinet dimensions: 26.6 x 22.6 x 5.2 cm
Bottle safety: Child-resistant capsThe case itself is water-resistant

The five tests, one by one

pH: Wide range, 3.0 to 10.0It places an unknown water. Fine-tuning to the nearest tenth requires a narrow range
KH, carbonate hardness: Titration, 1 drop = 1 °dKHUsing 5 ml of water. There is no colour chart for this test — count the drops until the colour changes
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 reagentsOn 5 ml of water, read after 5 minutes. This is the reference test during cycling.
NO3, nitrates: Colorimetric, 2 reagentsPer 10 ml of water. In aquaponics, this is the nitrogen ration for the crops
CO2, carbon dioxide: No reagent, reading from a chartThe value is read by cross-referencing the pH and KH already measured

The procedure

Water volume per test: 5 or 10 ml5 ml for pH, KH, nitrite and ammonium, 10 ml for nitrate
Waiting time: 0 to 15 minutesNone for KH; 5 minutes for pH and nitrite; 10 for nitrate; 15 for ammonium
The steps: Rinse, fill, dose, shake, wait, readIn that order. Shaking is the step people rush, and it determines the result.
Reading: Colour chart, in natural daylightWarm artificial light shifts the perception of pink and orange tones

To budget for separately

Reagent refills: Reagents sold individuallyThe glassware, the syringe, the measure, the comparator block and the colour charts can be kept
Iron and phosphates: Iron test and phosphate testThe two parameters that matter as soon as you are growing fruiting plants

10 further specifications are available in the detailed view.

In the box

1 water-resistant plastic case
5 drop tests, comprising 9 child-resistant reagent bottles
3 graduated glass test tubes
1 plastic test tube
1 sampling syringe
1 measuring spoon for the powdered reagent
1 laboratory comparator block
1 set of colour charts
1 CO2 conversion table, with pH and KH inputs
1 set of analysis record sheets

Parameters, equipment, and kit dimensions taken from the official JBL PROAQUATEST data sheets on 10/09/2026. The 6-parameter count adds CO2 to the 5 tests, read from the included chart.

Five tests or thirteen?

Both kits use the same drop reagents and the same colour comparator block. What sets them apart is the range of parameters they let you monitor and the amount of space they take up.

The five-test kit covers nitrogen, pH and KH It gives you pH, KH, ammonium, nitrite, nitrate and CO2 in a table. Answer three questions and the table fills in automatically.

	Parameters covered (parameters)	Drop tests included (tests)	Reagent bottles (bottles)	pH, KH, nitrites, nitrates, ammonium and CO2 by table	GH, total hardness	PO4, phosphates	Fe, iron	O2, dissolved oxygen	Glass test tubes	Laboratory comparator block	Thermometer	Box width (cm)	Case thickness (cm)	Price
Recommended 6-in-1 kitYour choice	6 parameters	5 tests	9 bottles	Yes	No	No	No	No	3	Yes	No	26,6 cm	5,2 cm	$50.00
14-in-1 water analysis kit for aquariumYour choice	14 parameters	13 tests	23 bottles	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	12	Yes	Yes	38,2 cm	8,5 cm	$104.00

6-in-1 kitRecommended

What each kit measures

Parameters covered (parameters)6 parameters

Drop tests included (tests)5 tests

Reagent bottles (bottles)9 bottles

pH, KH, nitrites, nitrates, ammonium and CO2 by tableYes

GH, total hardnessNo

PO4, phosphatesNo

Fe, ironNo

O2, dissolved oxygenNo

Equipment supplied

Glass test tubes3

Laboratory comparator blockYes

ThermometerNo

Footprint

Box width (cm)26,6 cm

Case thickness (cm)5,2 cm

Price

14-in-1 water analysis kit for aquarium

What each kit measures

Parameters covered (parameters)14 parameters

Drop tests included (tests)13 tests

Reagent bottles (bottles)23 bottles

pH, KH, nitrites, nitrates, ammonium and CO2 by tableYes

GH, total hardnessYes

PO4, phosphatesYes

Fe, ironYes

O2, dissolved oxygenYes

Equipment supplied

Glass test tubes12

Laboratory comparator blockYes

ThermometerYes

Footprint

Box width (cm)38,2 cm

Case thickness (cm)8,5 cm

Price

Parameters covered, equipment supplied, and dimensions of both kits taken from their official data sheets on 10/09/2026.

Estimate your
delivery time

Kit dispatched sealed, reagents in their original housing, with the choice of collection point or home delivery via Colissimo at checkout. The exact cost is displayed in the basket once your address has been entered.

Frequently asked questions

8 questions

6 key questions, 8 in the detailed view

Which tests are included in the kit?

How often should you test during the first few weeks?

A new tank needs close monitoring at first, then progressively less:

For the first three weeks, measure ammonium and nitrite once a day, always at the same time.
As soon as nitrite drops back to zero and nitrate starts to rise, move to two measurements per week.
Add pH and KH once a week — these are the parameters that drift slowly.
On a well-established system, one full set of readings per week is sufficient.
Return to daily monitoring after every addition of fish and after any incident.

The nitrite level won't drop — what should I do?

Why is the pH test read in steps of 0.5?

Should you rinse the test tubes with tank water or tap water?

A KH below 4 °dKH — is that serious?

Nitrates at 40 mg/L — is that a problem in aquaponics?

No, and that is the key difference from an aquarium. In aquaponics, nitrate is the nitrogen feed for your crops — produced by bacteria and taken up by the roots — and a value that stays low is more likely a sign of well-fed plants than of clean water.

What matters is the trend. Nitrate climbing week after week means you are feeding more fish than you have plants to absorb it. Choosing supplements should be based on that reading.

How do you reorder a single reagent?

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6-in-1 Aquarium Water Testing Kit

The summary