During our preparing for the expeditions we always ask ourselves: which test kits to take along?
Since it is never clear, what conditions we will encounter on site, it’s better to take along the large JBL PROAQUATEST LAB and complement it for example with the JBL PROAQUATEST K Potassium ainsi que JBL PROAQUEST Mg magnésium eau douce for plant nutrients.
Our 15 expeditions have taught us something new: In natural waters nitrogens (ammonium/ammonia, nitrite and nitrate) and phosphates are ALWAYS scarce and below the limit of detection. Only when humans have an influence on the natural water, can nitrogens and phosphates be found. This was once that time in Mexico, where the people had washed their cars at the lake during the weekend so that phosphates from the washing agents had entered its water. The result was an unbelievable algal bloom! And in Sri Lanka we found large amounts of phosphate in a small river in the middle of nowhere. This was so astonishing that we followed the river upstream. After half an hour we reached a cultivated field on which the farmer was happily distributing artificial fertilisers from company BASF! We had found the cause of the high phosphate content. But normally these water tests are unnecessary in the wild.
Since then we have started to keep our large test case at home and take along the small JBL PROAQUATEST COMBISET Plus Fe individually equipped: pH6-7.6 and pH 7.4-9, GH, KH, Fe, Mg Freshwater, K, O2, CO2 Direct, SiO2 and our JBL PROSCAN , since for the smartphone measurements no internet reception is required. It works offline and creates clear and exact results even under difficult conditions (cloudy water). As a result we have more space for a conductivity meter and all devices for the light measurement (lux, UV and PAR). Nobody likes to carry around useless baggage stuff at 35 °C and 80 % humidity!
