For more than 20 years now, we have been conducting expeditions almost every year and have been able to gather valuable knowledge about the waters from which our ornamental fish come. On our expeditions we have carried out numerous tests to gain a more precise understanding of the conditions under which our aquarium fish live in the wild. In this post we have summarised all our measured water values. From one of our first expeditions to Sri Lanka and the Maldives in 2004 to the Japan Expedition in 2019.
JBL Expedition 2002 Sri Lanka and Maldives
Sri Lanka (freshwater biotope)
| Attanagalu Oya | Puwakpitiya Oya | Aberdeen Falls | Black River | Hatton Oya | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time /temp. (°C) | 12:30/28.7 | 09:00/23 | 15:00/23 | ||
| pH | 6.05 | 6.45 | 7.4 | 6.05 | 7.4 |
| GH (°dGH) | 3 | 3 | |||
| KH (°dKH) | 3 | 2 | |||
| O2 (mg/l) | >10 | 6 | |||
| Fe (mg/l) | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.75 | 0.7 | |
| EC (μS/cm) | 20 | 75 | 50 |
Maya Tila/Maldives (marine water)
| Depth | 5 m | 10 m | 15 m | 20 m | 25 m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp. (°C) | 28.2 | 28 | 28 | 27.8 | 28 |
| pH | 8.2 | 8.2 | 8.5 | 8.1 | 8.2 |
| KH (°dKH) | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Ca (mg/l) | 380 | 440 | 360 | 480 | 460 |
| Mg (mg/l) | 1220 | 1060 | 1240 | 1320 | 1160 |
| O2 (mg/l) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
Read more about the expedition here: Spedizione esplorativa 2002 Sri Lanka & Maldive
JBL Expedition 2004 French Guiana & Caribbean
Caribbean (marine water)
| Saba | Sint Eustatius (Statia) | |
|---|---|---|
| Temp. (°C) | 29.4 | 28 |
| pH | 8.2 | 8.2 |
| KH (°dKH) | 10 | 9 |
| Ca (mg/l) | 460 | 440 |
| Mg (mg/l) | 1240 | 1360 |
| LW (mS/cm) | 53.4 |
French Guiana (freshwater biotopes)
| Crique Gabrielle | Crique Bagot | Pain de sucre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temp. (°C) | 27 | 25.5 | 23.9 |
| pH | 6.3 | 6.5 | 5.5 |
| GH (°dGH) | 1 | ||
| KH (°dKH) | 2 | 3 | |
| Fe (mg/l) | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| EC (μS/cm) | 31 | 23 | 22 |
Read more about the expedition here: Spedizione esplorativa 2004 Guyana francese & Caraibi
JBL Expedition 2005 Red Sea
Marsa Shagra/Red Sea (marine water)
| Inner reef | Outer reef | Dolphinhouse | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temp. (°C) | 25.3 | 24.8 | 24.7 |
| pH | 8.1 | 8.17 | 8.13 |
| KH (°dKH) | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Ca (mg/l) | 448 | 467 | 457 |
| Mg (mg/l) | 1360 | 1281 | 1277 |
| O2 (mg/l) | 8 | 8 | 8 |
Read more about the expedition here: Workshop Mar Rosso
JBL Expedition 2007 Philippines
Apo Island/Philippines (marine water)
| Depth | 0 m | 3 m | 10 m | 20 m | 30 m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp. (°C) | 29 | 29 | 26 | 25 | 24 |
| pH | 8.35/8.2 | 8.29/8.2 | 8.30/8.2 | 8.25/8.2 | 8.22/8.2 |
| KH (°dKH) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Ca (mg/l) | 400 | 400 | 400 | 410 | 420 |
| Mg (mg/l) | 1500 | 1500 | 1500 | 1700 | 1800 |
| O2 (mg/l) | 5.0/5.0 | 5.2/6.0 | 5.2/5.0 | 5.0/5.0 | 5.0/4.5 |
| EC (mS/cm) | 49.3 | 49.2 | 49.5 | 49.6 | 49.7 |
Philippines (fresh water)
| Negros | |
|---|---|
| Temp. (°C) | 25 |
| pH | 7.5 |
| GH (°dGH) | 4 |
| KH (°dKH) | 2 |
| NO3 (mg/l) | |
| PO4 (mg/l) |
Read more about the expedition here: Workshop Filippine
JBL Expedition 2009 Brazil
Amazonia (freshwater biotopes)
| Rio Negro Barcelos | Rio Branco | Rio Jauaperi | Cayman Lake | Rio Negro Manaus | Rio Negro-Solimoes | Solimoes | Piranha lake Nobres | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water type | Black | White | Clear | Clear | Black | Mix | White | Clear |
| Temp. (°C) | 30.3 | 30 | 26.3 | 27.8 | 28.9 | 28 | 27.9 | 28.9 |
| pH | 4.5 | 6.5 | 4.5 | 6.01 | 5.16 | 5.5 | 6.5 | 7.31 |
| KH (°dKH) | 1.5 | 2 | 11 | |||||
| O2 (mg/l) | 72.4 | 60 | 33 | 49 | 41 | |||
| EC (μS/cm) | 16 | 19 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 83 | 388 |
Read more about the expedition here: Spedizione Brasile
JBL Expedition Tanzania 2010 (Zanzibar, Kigoma/Lake Tanganyika)
Zanzibar (marine water)
| Zanzibar | Nungwi | |
|---|---|---|
| Temp. (°C) | 29 | 29.3 |
| pH | 8.2 | 8.3 |
| KH (°dKH) | 6 | 8 |
| Ca (mg/l) | 380 | 420 |
| Mg (mg/l) | 1300 | 1180 |
| EC (mS/cm) | 51.7 | 51.6 |
Kigoma/Lake Tanganyika (freshwater)
| Depth | 0 m | 10 m | 20 m |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temp. (°C) | 29.3 | 29 | 26 |
| pH | 8.9 | 8.8 | >9 |
| GH (°dGH) | 10 | 11 | 11 |
| KH (°dKH) | 18 | 17 | 16 |
| O2 (mg/l) | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| EC (mS/cm) | 644 | 690 |
Read more about the expedition here: Workshop Tanzania
JBL Expedition 2012 Central America and Galapagos
Caribbean (marine water)
| Playa del Carmen | Bartolomé Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Temp. (°C) | 26 | 27 |
| pH | 8.1 | 7.8/8.5 |
| KH (°dKH) | 9 | 6 |
| Ca (mg/l) | 500 | 360 |
| Mg (mg/l) | 1100 | 1140 |
| EC (mS/cm) | 53.5 | 47.6 |
Central America (freshwater)
| Ponderosa Cenote | Grande Cenote | Nicaragua Lake | Rio Papaturro | Chira / Mangroves | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp. (°C) | 25.4 | 25.5 | 28 | 25.8 | 29.2 |
| pH | 6.97 | 7.4 | 8.8 | 6.92 | 7.8 |
| KH (°dKH) | 0-1 | 17 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| GH (°dGH) | 30 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Fe (mg/l) | 0,02 | 0,02 | 0,02 | 1 | |
| EC (μS/cm) | 8.18 | 3500 | 219 | 127 | 46.7 |
Read more about the expedition here: Spedizione 2012 America Centrale & Galapagos
JBL Expedition Vietnam 2013
Na Thrang (marine water)
| Hon Mun West | Hon Mun North | |
|---|---|---|
| Temp. (°C) | 28.8 | 29.6 |
| pH | 8.2 | 8 |
| KH (°dKH) | 8 | 6 |
| Ca (mg/l) | 420 | 440 |
| Mg (mg/l) | 1400 | 1440 |
| EC (mS/cm) | 50.8 | 50.8 |
Na Thrang (freshwater biotopes)
| Hon Ba region | Ba Ho river | Ba Ho waterfall below | Ba Ho waterfall middle | Ba Ho waterfall top | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp. (°C) | 28 | 28-29 | 28.7 | 28.5 | 29.5 |
| pH | 6.4 | 6.6-6.7 | 7.2 | 6.8 | 7.8 |
| KH (°dKH) | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | |
| GH (°dGH) | 1 | 9 | |||
| Fe | 0.03 | 0.3 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| EC (μS/cm) | 37 | 53 | 136 | 84 |
Read more about the expedition here: Workshop Vietnam
JBL Expedition 2015: California, South Pacific & Australia
California, South Seas, Australia (marine water)
| Catalina Island | Moorea | Great Barrier Reef | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temp. (°C) | 22 | 26 | 27 |
| pH | 8 | 7.6 | 8.0-8.2 |
| KH (°dKH) | 9 | 7 | 5 |
| Ca (mg/l) | 360 | 380 | 400 |
| Mg (mg/l) | 1084 | 1160 | 1160 |
| Density | 1.0235 | 1.0235 | 1.0243 |
Australia (freshwater biotopes)
| Ormiston Gorge | Kathleen Springs | Babinda Creek | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temp. (°C) | 25 | 24 | 24 |
| pH | 2 | >15 | 2 |
| KH (°dKH) | 6 | 5 | 2 |
| GH (°dGH) | 3 | 6 | 2 |
| O2 (mg/l) | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| EC (μS/cm) | 343 | 539 | 44 |
Read more about the expedition here: Presentazione spedizione California, Mari del Sud e Australia
JBL Expedition Venezuela 2016
Orinoco
| Hauna=Lily Camp | Riverbank | Eco Camp | Riverbank | Narrow river | Riverbank | Riverbank | Cattle trough | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp. (°C) | 27.8 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 28.3 | 28.4 | 28.6 | 33 |
| pH | 4.5 | 6 | 6.2 | 6 | 6 | 7.2 | ||
| KH (°dKH) | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 8 | |
| GH (°dGH) | 28 | 21 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0.25 | 0.25 | 3 |
| O2 (mg/l) | 8 | 10 | 6 | 8-10 | 10 | |||
| EC (μS/cm) | 67 | 97 | 71 | 75 | 77 | 386 |
Canaima
| Lagoon | |
|---|---|
| Temp. (°C) | 28 |
| pH | 5 |
| KH (°dKH) | |
| GH (°dGH) | |
| O2 (mg/l) | 8 |
| EC (μS/cm) | 9 |
Read more about the expedition here: Spedizione esplorativa 2016 in Venezuela
JBL Expedition Indian Ocean 2018 (Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles)
Marine water
| Madagascar Nosy Be | Mauritius | Seychelles La Digue | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temp. (°C) | 30.7 | 27.7 | 30 |
| pH | 8.2 | 8.2 | 8.3 |
| KH (°dKH) | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| Ca (mg/l) | 460 | 460 | 380 |
| Mg (mg/l) | 1340 | 1220 | 1400 |
| EC (mS/cm) | 53.1 | 53.7 | 53.9 |
Brackish water
| Seychelles La Digue | |
|---|---|
| Temp. (°C) | 30 |
| pH | 8 |
| KH (°dKH) | 6.5 |
| Ca (mg/l) | 400 |
| Mg (mg/l) | 1400 |
| EC (μS/cm) | 38 |
Freshwater
| Madagascar Matsinjo | |
|---|---|
| Temp. (°C) | 20 |
| pH | 6.5 |
| KH (°dKH) | |
| GH (°dGH) | |
| Fe (mg/l) | 0.1 |
| EC (μS/cm) | 19 |
Read more about the expedition here: Spedizione esplorativa nell’Oceano Indiano
JBL Expedition Japan 2019
Niigata/Ojiya - Koi ponds (freshwater)
| Yamamatsu Koi Farm | Yamasan Mud Pond | Kaneko Indoor Pond | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temp. (°C) | 18.1 | 19.8 | |
| pH | 7 | 8.2 | 7.4 |
| KH (°dKH) | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| GH (°dGH) | 2 | 1 | 15 |
| EC (μS/cm) | 151 | 92 | 922 |
Iriomote/Ryukyu Islands (freshwater)
| Ku-Ra waterfall | Modama mini lake | Urauchi River | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temp. (°C) | 24.3 | 22.2 | 23.5 |
| pH | 7 | 8.2 | 7.8 |
| KH (°dKH) | 2 | 2 | 1.5 |
| GH (°dGH) | 2 | 2 | 1.5 |
| EC (μS/cm) | 175 | 156 | 102 |
Ryukyu Islands (marine water)
| Ishigaki | |
|---|---|
| Temp. (°C) | 26.6 |
| pH | 8.2 |
| KH (°dKH) | 5.5 |
| Ca (mg/l) | 440 |
| Mg (mg/l) | 1360 |
| EC (mS/cm) | 50.7 |
Read more about the expedition here: Spedizione esplorativa in Giappone
