Yes, I did shock first, should've mentioned that, sorry. In my (ignorant) mind, I assumed that I should get chlorine (bleach & 1 bag of 50%) in there right away (shock level --- or in my case --- or above).

I have 5 boxes of borax. Thanks for the start-up step by step. I'll (slowly) get the PH back up (that's why I indicated 6.8 or less). And of course I trust the test kit - it's fantastic! More than I thought it would be. I'm used to test strips and pool store reliability ... no more!

I have a lot of "grime". Algae may be mixed in there as well, but I'm having to backflush every 5 minutes or so and I'm only about 1/3 done vacuuming - whew. I don't think I like the mesh cover deal. Lets a lot of dirt through.

Thank you very much for the prompt replies. Love this place

PS, taking pics along the way too.