High ph in QT tank?

[marine qa]

My 10g qt tank has a very high 8.6+ ph. I believe this caused 2 chromis to die during the three week qt time. With daily 40% water changes I never allowed the ammonia above .25 but with the high ph the ammonia must have been very toxic.
I understand that there is nothing in the qt to buffer the ph, so I need to look for other options. I purchased American Pharmaceuticals Ph Down, but it has done little to help. I really want to get this resolved before I QT any more fish. Any suggestions?
Thanks.
[ June 04, 2001: Message edited by: Marine QA ]

 

[marine qa]

Trey, I have been using filtered well water, and I do need to check the ph of this water.
Unfortunately I have been unable to find RO water. A brand of water Iv'e found is filtered by distillation and/or RO. I was hesitant to buy it due to the possible use of copper in the distillation tanks. Is this a big issue?
Also, are there other options for keeping ammo. levels down besides water changes?