Yes, even though it was brand new hydroton, I rinsed and scrubbed and rinsed again before I used it. It hasnt done this forever, it started some time after I got my water filter strangly enough. The water goes in at 6.0 on the dot, 10 PPM or so, and if left alone it'll drop to 5 (a 10 fold difference!) within a few days if I dont use PH Up.

Would salt buildups cause drop in PH? Would anything sickness in the plant cause it? Bacterias? Molds? Fungi? Anything? I feel like I'm not seeing the forest for the trees so to speak, and it could be simple.

I'm ordering up a gallon of florakleen in the next day or so I think, but I sure wish I knew of any specific causes. With my luck I'll run it in there and it'll recur anyway.

Remember, my plants have also been showing what LOOKS like calcium or magnesium deficiencies for a long time, and thats never gone away. Now I've read that root rot can appear in the leaves similar to a nutrient difficiency, but would it cause the PH to drop? That seems backwards. They also dont look bad or smell bad.

Well I still have some hair I havent pulled out yet, so thats a blessing Plus both plants have definitive female pre-flowers on them which is good too.