[Cougra]

I don't think that any one test is more important then any other test. They should all be done on a regular basis and even people with established tanks should have ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH,Alk, Calcium, SG, and Temperature testing available at all times. Even if you don't use the ammonia and nitrite tests one a regular basis, it's very important to be able to test for them as soon as there are signs of trouble in the tank. Waiting till the next day to get a test kit could be fatal and wont give you accurate results because the ammonia or nitrite causing a problem could have already disappeared by that time but the damage could already be done.

This is one of the reasons it's so important to take ALL tests as soon as you see a problem in the tank! When asking for help the more we know about the tests results taken as quickly as possible the better we would be able to help! If someone waits two or three days before testing the water then whatever they post is pretty much useless information.