Weedhound, I mentioned earlier that it was just tap water that had aged for 3 days. I incorrectly assumed that the pH of tap water would be somewhere around 6-7 and letting it sit would evaporate the chlorine, thus leaving usable water with a moderate pH level. Everywhere I read simply said if using tap water, to let it age for 2 or 3 days before giving it to the plants. This was only an assumption I had made that turned out to be false. The original question is void at this point as I am going to be using distilled water instead of tap water.

As far as the hydroton raising pH, would you recommend running the system for a while with the hydroton in the baskets, or what is the best way to combat the pH rise?