JBL ProAquaTest pH drop water test, wide or narrow range
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9,90 €
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9,90 €
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This drop test gives the pH in three ranges: from 3.0 to 10.0 to get a first reading of unknown water, from 6.0 to 7.6 or from 7.4 to 9.0 to monitor freshwater, a pond or an aquaponic system closely. Its reading is interpreted alongside the carbonate hardness, or KH, which stabilises the pH.
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The summary
- What you receive: a reagent, the glassware and a colour chart, for about 50 tests in the wide range or 80 in the narrow range.
- What you measure: pH from 3.0 to 10.0, or more precisely from 6.0 to 7.6 or from 7.4 to 9.0, in freshwater, in ponds and in seawater.
- What the number means: the scale is logarithmic. Between pH 7.5 and pH 8.5, your water becomes 10 times more alkaline.
- When to test: always at the same time of day, and make a note of it. In a planted tank, the pH varies by several tenths between morning and evening.
- How to choose: the wide range screens water of unknown quality, while a narrow range tracks water whose pH zone you already know.
- What is sent to you: a parcel weighing 0.13 to 0.15 kg, with the reagent in its original box.
Liquid pH test, wide range or narrow range, for aquarium, pond and aquaponics
The JBL pH water test in drops measures pH over a wide range from 3.0 to 10.0, to identify an unknown water, or over a narrow range, from 6.0 to 7.6 or from 7.4 to 9.0, to closely monitor soft water, a pond or an aquaponic system. One kit allows around 50 measurements over the wide range or 80 over the narrow range.
pH is the parameter you will measure most often, and its value must always be interpreted alongside others. This test gives a number, in a wide range of 3.0 to 10.0 or in a narrow range of 6.0 to 7.6 and of 7.4 to 9.0, which does not tell you on its own whether your water is stable or whether it will stay so, since that stability depends on carbonate hardness. A correction based on pH alone can therefore cause a more abrupt swing than the imbalance it was meant to fix.
🔬 Wide range or narrow range
The wide range places an unknown water at a glance, but its colour fields are spaced 0.5 units apart. The two fine versions narrow the colour chart to 1.6 units and are read in a comparator block: a second test tube of untreated water, placed alongside, cancels out the water's own tint, which keeps the reading accurate in water slightly coloured by peat or by a treatment. The 6.0 to 7.6 version covers slightly acidic or neutral fresh water, and so most aquaponic systems, which you keep between 6.4 and 7.5. The 7.4 to 9.0 version covers alkaline fresh water, the garden pond and sea water, whose optimum is around 8.2.
Three mistakes that skew pH readings
Read in daylight, with the test tube placed against a white background, because aquarium lighting shifts the perception of yellows and greens. Respect the 5 ml volume and the number of drops for your version, 5 for the wide range and 4 for the fine range, then wait 5 minutes for the wide range and 3 minutes for the fine range before comparing. Finally, take the sample from the middle of the water column, never just under the surface film.
📉 A logarithmic scale
pH is a logarithmic scale: each unit is a factor of 10. Water at pH 7.5 is 10 times less alkaline than water at pH 8.5, and a difference of 0.5 already represents a ratio of 3. That is why a pH that shifts by one unit in a single evening puts your fish under severe stress, whereas the same change spread over 3 weeks is far better tolerated: sudden swings are what you must avoid above all. The article on pH regulation explains the procedure in detail.
In aquaponics, a trade-off
Nitrification is most efficient between 7 and 8, whereas roots absorb iron and phosphorus better below 7, so the pH is best kept between 6.4 and 7.5.
In a garden pond
The favourable range lies between pH 7.5 and 8.5, which the fine version, from 7.4 to 9.0, covers in full.
In very soft water
Without a buffer, the pH drops on its own, sometimes below 6, where only the wide range can still give a reading.
After adding
pH corrector, fresh grow medium, limestone, peat: each one changes the value, not always in the expected direction.
Measure KH before correcting pH
What holds the pH steady is carbonate hardness, which absorbs the acids produced by nitrification. So take the carbonate hardness test at the same time as this one: if the KH is high, a pH forced by a corrector returns to its equilibrium value within a few days, and if it is low, nothing buffers any more and the pH can drop suddenly. With both figures, you know which one to correct, and in what order.
🕑 The time of the reading
In a planted tank, dissolved carbon dioxide makes the pH vary from hour to hour: during the day photosynthesis consumes it and the pH rises, at night plants and bacteria release it and the pH falls. The swing commonly reaches several tenths of a unit between early morning and the end of the day. Always measure at the same time of day and note it down; to find out the real swing in your setup, take two measurements on the same day rather than two a week apart.
🐠 pH and ammonium toxicity
The pH also determines the toxicity of ammonium. Dissolved ammoniacal nitrogen is split between the ammonium ion, which is slightly toxic, and ammonia, which crosses the gills, and the proportion of ammonia rises with pH. At 25 °C, it makes up about 0.6 % of the ammoniacal nitrogen at pH 7, compared with 5.4 % at pH 8: the same ammonium level is therefore nearly 10 times more dangerous in a pond at pH 8 than in a tank at pH 7. Always read your ammonium test alongside the pH from the same day, especially in summer, when temperature adds to the effect of pH.
Technical specifications
The essentials
- Parameter measured
- pH, acidity or alkalinity of the waterLogarithmic scale: a difference of one unit means a factor of 10 in actual acidity
- Measuring ranges
- 3.0 to 10.0, 6.0 to 7.6 or 7.4 to 9.0Depending on the version chosen. The wide range is for screening, while the narrow ranges track water whose range is already known
- The colour chart fields
- Steps of 0.5 on the wide rangeOne field at 3.0, then in steps of 0.5 from 4.0 to 10.0. The fine ranges carry a tighter graduation over 1.6 units
- Tests per kit
- Approximately 50 or 8050 in the wide range, 80 in the fine range
- Method
- Liquid reagent, colorimetric readingThe fine ranges are read in a comparator block that cancels out the natural tint of the water, the wide range without a reference
- Manufacturer references
- JBL 2410100, 2410300, 2410500In order: 3.0 to 10.0, then 6.0 to 7.6, then 7.4 to 9.0
The procedure
- Water volume
- 5 mlTaken from the middle of the water column. In the fine range, a second 5 ml test tube serves as a reference
- The steps
- Rinse, fill, dose, shake, wait, readThe number of drops is calibrated for this volume and no other
- Waiting time
- 5 or 3 minutes5 minutes in the wide range, 3 in the fine range. An immediate reading gives a colour that is still changing
- Total duration
- Approximately 6 minutesHandling included
- Reading
- Colour chart, in daylightAquarium lighting skews the perception of yellows and greens, and therefore the reading obtained
- Environments covered
- Freshwater, saltwater, pondFor a marine tank, the 7.4 to 9.0 range reads the useful zone around 8.2
Security and parcels
- Ranking
- WarningThe lower of the two threshold levels under CLP regulations
- Main risks
- Flammable, causes serious eye irritationH226 and H319 statements for the wide-range reagent; each leaflet carries those for its own version
- Precautions
- Rinse the eye with water, keep out of reachAdvice P101, P102, P305 with P351 and P338. Keep away from all sources of ignition.
- Parcel weight
- 0.13 to 0.15 kgPackaging included. The fine range adds the comparator block and two glass test tubes
To budget for separately
- The matching test
- A carbonate hardness testIt shows whether your pH will remain stable, and it is the first thing to correct
- Reagent refill
- Reagent only, for each rangeThe glassware, comparator block and colour chart can be kept
10 further specifications are available in the detailed view.
In the box
- 1 bottle of pH reagent with child-safety cap
- 1 colour chart specific to the chosen range
- 1 multilingual instruction leaflet, French included
- 1 graduated plastic test tube for the wide range, or 2 glass test tubes, 1 syringe and 1 comparator block for the fine range
References, EAN codes, kit contents, ranges, protocols and hazard statements taken from the manufacturer's data sheets and instructions on 05/09 and 11/10/2026. The daily pH swing in a planted tank is an order of magnitude only, as it depends on the plant mass and the lighting.
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.
Wide range or narrow range?
The three versions measure the same parameter. What sets them apart is the area covered and the fineness of the reading.
A wide range for screening, a narrow range for monitoring
The wide range places an unknown water, while the two narrow ranges track as closely as possible a water whose zone is known. Two readings are enough to settle it.
| Bottom of the range (pH) | Top of the range (pH) | Use | Target waters | Tests per kit (measurements) | Comparison block | Glass test tubes | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pH 3.0 to 10.0Your choice | 3 pH | 10 pH | Screening unknown water | All types of water | 50 measurements | No | 0 | 9,90 € |
| Recommended pH 6.0 to 7.6Your choice | 6 pH | 7,6 pH | Fine adjustment below 7.6 | Freshwater, aquaponics | 80 measurements | Yes | 2 | 11,50 € |
| pH 7.4 to 9.0Your choice | 7,4 pH | 9 pH | Fine adjustment above 7.4 | Pond, hard water, seawater | 80 measurements | Yes | 2 | 12,50 € |
pH 3.0 to 10.0
The measured zone
Bottom of the range (pH)3 pH
Top of the range (pH)10 pH
UseScreening unknown water
Target watersAll types of water
The kit
Tests per kit (measurements)50 measurements
Comparison blockNo
Glass test tubes0
Price
pH 6.0 to 7.6Recommended
The measured zone
Bottom of the range (pH)6 pH
Top of the range (pH)7,6 pH
UseFine adjustment below 7.6
Target watersFreshwater, aquaponics
The kit
Tests per kit (measurements)80 measurements
Comparison blockYes
Glass test tubes2
Price
pH 7.4 to 9.0
The measured zone
Bottom of the range (pH)7,4 pH
Top of the range (pH)9 pH
UseFine adjustment above 7.4
Target watersPond, hard water, seawater
The kit
Tests per kit (measurements)80 measurements
Comparison blockYes
Glass test tubes2
Price
Ranges, number of tests and equipment taken from the manufacturer's data sheets and instructions on 11/10/2026.
Help choosing
Which range suits your water
Documents & manuals
Instructions for the pH 3.0 to 10.0 test
Wide-range protocol, volume and number of drops, hazard statements and precautionary advice. Multilingual instructions, French included.
Instructions for the pH 6.0 to 7.6 test
Protocol using two 5 ml test tubes with a comparator block, 4 drops and a 3-minute wait. Multilingual instructions, French included.
Instructions for the pH 7.4 to 9.0 test
Protocol using two 5 ml test tubes with a comparator block, for alkaline freshwater, pond and seawater. Multilingual instructions, French included.
Document not showing? Some publishers block display inside a frame, so open it in a tab.
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It is not a guaranteed delivery date: public holidays, peak periods, customs or a carrier delay can extend it. The exact amount, in your currency, is worked out in the cart once your address is entered.
Parcel of 0.13 to 0.15 kg depending on the version, dispatched within 48 hours by Colissimo or Chronopost home delivery, as you choose at checkout. The reagent is sent in its original box, with a child-resistant cap. The exact cost is shown in your 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
6 questions
6 key questions
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