Box for the NH4 ammonium water test, 10.6 by 17.5 cm format, approximately 50 measurements

Contents of the ammonium NH4 water test: three reagent bottles, two glass test tubes, sampling syringe, comparator block and colour chart

Reading the ammonium NH4 test: both test tubes in the comparator block, placed on the colour reference chart

Table showing the proportion of ammonia NH3 in the NH4 reading, according to pH from 6.5 to 9 and temperature from 10 to 30 degrees

JBL ProAquaTest ammonium NH4 drop water test

Name: JBL ProAquaTest ammonium NH4 drop water test
Brand: JBL
SKU: J2412100
Price: 14.9 EUR
Availability: InStock

14,90 €

This test tells you whether your biological filtration is still doing its job. It measures ammoniacal nitrogen from 0.05 to 5 mg/L, in freshwater, pond and aquaponic systems.

A single figure is not enough to make a decision: it is your pH that determines the genuinely toxic fraction, and the same result can be harmless or critical depending on it.

Ref. J2412100·Water test

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The summary

What you receive: 3 bottles of reagents, 2 glass test tubes, a syringe, a comparator block and a three-band colour chart.
What you measure: total ammonia nitrogen, from 0.05 to 5 mg/L, across nine fields, in freshwater, in ponds and in seawater.
What the figure means: at a reading of 0.5 mg/L, there is 28 times more ammonia at pH 8.5 than at pH 7.
When to measure: every day during cycling, then after cleaning a filter, after a treatment or after a pump failure.
How to choose: this test completes a test case or is enough to monitor a start-up.
What is sent to you: a 0.17 kg parcel, with the reagents in their original box.

Drop test for ammonia nitrogen, from 0.05 to 5 mg/L, to be read alongside your pH

The JBL ammonium NH4 drop water test (PROAQUATEST) measures total ammoniacal nitrogen from 0.05 to 5 mg/L, in freshwater, in ponds and in aquaponics. A measurable value signals faulty biological filtration. The result only gives the toxic share of ammonia together with the pH: at 0.5 mg/L, it is 28 times higher at pH 8.5 than at pH 7.

Ammonium appears as soon as waste starts to break down, well before your fish begin gasping at the surface. It normally disappears within a few hours if the nitrifying bacteria are in place, so a measurable reading on an established system always indicates biological filtration that is no longer keeping up.

🧬 Ammonium and ammonia

The chemistry used measures total ammoniacal nitrogen, that is, ammonium NH4 added to ammonia NH3, and the result is expressed in mg/L of NH4. Many people nonetheless assume they are reading ammonia directly, yet the result only tells you the toxic share once the pH is known: the same value is harmless in acidic water and dangerous in alkaline water. Ammonium remains practically harmless at the levels found in a pond, whereas ammonia attacks the gills from just a few hundredths of a milligram per litre.

🔗 The ammonium and nitrite pairing

High NH4, nitrite at zero

Nitrification has not started: new tank, filter rinsed under the tap, recent treatment.

High NH4, high nitrite

Cycling is under way. It is the worst time to introduce fish.

NH4 at zero, fish in distress

Look elsewhere: oxygen, temperature, unstable pH. A zero is the expected result.

In aquaponics

Nitrates feed your crops, whereas ammonium must stay at zero.

Three handling details distort the reading more often than the chemistry itself. Read in daylight, with the test tube placed on the white area, because a warm bulb shifts the perception of greens and blues. Use only the syringe and test tube from the kit, since a different volume changes the final concentration and therefore the colour obtained. Finally, be aware that the third reagent produces noticeably smaller drops than the first two: this is normal, and compensating by adding drops would skew the result.

The pH sets the proportion of toxic ammonia

The two forms coexist and their proportion depends on the pH, with the share of ammonia multiplied by about 10 for every pH unit gained. At 20 degrees, a reading of 0.5 mg/L corresponds to 0.002 mg/L of ammonia at pH 7, but to about 0.05 mg/L at pH 8.5, when the chronic limit for aquatic life is 0.019 mg/L. The same figure is therefore harmless in an acidic tank and over the limit in a koi pond, which makes measuring the pH inseparable from this reading.

Refill the reagents without buying the glassware again

Only the bottles run out on this type of kit, whereas the comparator block, the test tubes, the syringe and the colour chart last for years. The ammonium reagent refill therefore gives you around fifty more tests with the glassware you already own. Get it with your first purchase if you are setting up a tank, as consumption is at its fastest during cycling. That way you avoid interrupting your monitoring in the middle of cycling.

🚑 When the value rises

Changing about half the volume protects your fish within the hour, provided you use fresh water whose pH is no higher than that of the tank, otherwise the proportion of ammonia would rise instead of falling. Then reduce the ration and look for the cause in the filter rather than in the water, since measurable ammonium almost always indicates an insufficient or recently destroyed bacterial population. The nitrite test takes over as the routine check once the reading is back to zero, as it is the one that flags the second stage of the cycle.

Technical specifications

The essentials

Parameter measured: Ammoniacal nitrogen, expressed as NH4The reaction measures ammonium and ammonia together, and the result is displayed in mg/L of NH4
Measurement range: 0.05 to 5 mg/LBelow 0.05 mg/L the test reads zero, which is the expected result on a well-established system
The colour chart fields: 0,05 · 0,1 · 0,2 · 0,4 · 0,6 · 1 · 1,5 · 3 · 5You bracket the result between the two nearest fields; you don't look for the exact shade
Target values: Below 0.25 mg/L in an aquariumBelow 0.1 mg/L in a pond. These thresholds assume a pH close to neutral; above pH 8 they become optimistic
Tests per kit: Approximately 50Three reagents used up with every measurement
Manufacturer's reference: JBL 2412100, PROAQUATEST range

The procedure

Water volume: 2 times 5 mlTaken from the middle of the water column, never at the surface or against the bottom
The steps: Fill, dose 1, dose 2, dose 3, wait, readThe three reagents in this order, without swapping any of them
Waiting time: 15 minutesReading too early underestimates the value
Total duration: Around 17 minutesHandling included
Reading: Colour chart, in daylightThree reading strips identified by pictogram: freshwater, pond and seawater
A pitfall to know about: Reagent 3 makes smaller dropsThat is normal, you should not compensate by adding more

Security and parcels

Ranking: DangerTwo of the three bottles are classified, one of them highly flammable
Main risks: Flammable, burns, drowsinessStatements H225, H314, H315, H318, H319 and H336, EUH031, plus H400 and H411 for aquatic toxicity
Precautions: Sink, well-ventilated room, out of reachChild-resistant caps, and bottles to be kept away from any naked flame
Parcel weight: 0.17 kgPackaging included

To budget for separately

The matching test: A pH testWithout it, the ammonium figure tells you nothing about actual toxicity
Reagent refill: Reagents only, ref. 2412200The glassware, comparator block and colour chart can be kept

10 further specifications are available in the detailed view.

In the box

3 reagent bottles with child-resistant caps
2 glass test tubes with screw caps
1 graduated sampling syringe
1 laboratory comparator block
1 colour chart with 3 reading strips, freshwater, pond and seawater
1 multilingual instruction leaflet, French included

Reference, EAN code, kit contents, number of tests, protocol, recommended thresholds and hazard statements taken from the manufacturer's product page and instructions on 05/09/2026. The range of 0.05 to 5 mg/L and the nine fields are taken from the colour chart supplied. The chronic limit of 0.019 mg/L of ammonia is a recommendation for the protection of aquatic life.

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.

A single parameter, or all of the water chemistry?

Ammonium is the first test on a new tank, and the only one you will run every day for three weeks. The three columns differ in what they let you see once the start-up phase is over.

The same NH4 value does not burn in the same way At 18 °C and pH 6.8, half a milligram per litre goes almost unnoticed. At 28 °C and pH 8.2, the same value tips over into ammonia and burns the gills in a single night.

	Parameters covered (parameters)	Drop tests included (tests)	Ammonium NH4	pH, KH, nitrites and nitrates	GH, iron, phosphates, copper, silicates, oxygen	Reagent bottles (bottles)	Glass test tubes	Laboratory comparator block	Thermometer	Reagent refill sold separately	Price
Recommended Ammonium-only testYour choice	1 parameters	1 tests	Yes	No	No	3 bottles	2	Yes	No	Yes	14,90 €
6-in-1 Aquarium Water Testing KitYour choice	6 parameters	5 tests	Yes	Yes	No	9 bottles	3	Yes	No	Yes	50,90 €
13-in-1 water testing kit for aquariumsYour choice	12 parameters	13 tests	Yes	Yes	Yes	23 bottles	12	Yes	Yes	Yes	99,90 €

Ammonium-only testRecommended

What you're measuring

Parameters covered (parameters)1 parameters

Drop tests included (tests)1 tests

Ammonium NH4Yes

pH, KH, nitrites and nitratesNo

GH, iron, phosphates, copper, silicates, oxygenNo

Equipment supplied

Reagent bottles (bottles)3 bottles

Glass test tubes2

Laboratory comparator blockYes

ThermometerNo

Budget

Reagent refill sold separatelyYes

6-in-1 Aquarium Water Testing Kit

What you're measuring

Parameters covered (parameters)6 parameters

Drop tests included (tests)5 tests

Ammonium NH4Yes

pH, KH, nitrites and nitratesYes

GH, iron, phosphates, copper, silicates, oxygenNo

Equipment supplied

Reagent bottles (bottles)9 bottles

Glass test tubes3

Laboratory comparator blockYes

ThermometerNo

Budget

Reagent refill sold separatelyYes

13-in-1 water testing kit for aquariums

What you're measuring

Parameters covered (parameters)12 parameters

Drop tests included (tests)13 tests

Ammonium NH4Yes

pH, KH, nitrites and nitratesYes

GH, iron, phosphates, copper, silicates, oxygenYes

Equipment supplied

Reagent bottles (bottles)23 bottles

Glass test tubes12

Laboratory comparator blockYes

ThermometerYes

Budget

Reagent refill sold separatelyYes

Parameters covered, equipment supplied and kit contents noted from the three product pages on 05/09/2026.

Documents & manuals

Official manufacturer's instructions, in French

Six-step protocol, volumes and number of drops, and the ammonia toxicity table as a function of pH published by the manufacturer on the last page.

PDF · 2,7 Mo

Download

Estimate your
delivery time

Parcel of 0.12 kg, dispatched within 48 h by Colissimo or Chronopost to your home, as you choose during payment. The reagents are sent in their original box. The exact amount is shown in the basket. Once unsealed, this product can no longer 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

6 questions

6 key questions

My test always shows zero, is that normal?

Ammonium or ammonia, is it the same thing?

No. Ammonium NH4 is practically harmless at common levels; ammonia NH3 burns the gills. Both are present in your water, and this test measures their sum, expressed as NH4.

It is your pH that sets the balance between the two, and the proportion of ammonia is multiplied by roughly ten for every unit the pH rises. The same result is therefore harmless at pH 6.8 and dangerous at pH 8.5.

At what value should I take action?

What should you do when the value is high?

Change about half the volume, using water whose pH is no higher than that of the tank.
Stop feeding for 24 to 48 hours.
Look for the cause: a filter rinsed under the tap, a recent treatment, a dead fish, a pump failure.
Test again the next day, then monitor the nitrite, whose level will rise afterwards.

Never raise the pH during an ammonium spike: you would convert part of the ammonium into ammonia.

Why measure nitrites at the same time?

Is the test suitable for a garden pond?

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JBL ProAquaTest ammonium NH4 drop water test

The summary