Thank you both! Got the pulled filled last night...let the baby play while it was filling up (figured since it was freshly running it was no different than the tub for those few hours...) Turned the pump on and added 38% of bleach around 12 am before I went to bed and it had finally finished filling.

WALMART only had the strips and a cheap Chlorine/pH test so I got both just for a general idea on the other things as I know the strips are not very useful. But the moment they are the only option till this afternoon when I drive an hour to our pool store... (We are in the sticks). Walmart was out of borox. I use it for my husbands uniforms so I knew where to find it but they are usually out and was out last night. I did get a 12 lb bag of baking soda that was in the pool isle as it said it raises pH....NEEDLESS to say doesn't look like I will need it...

Test results this morning (after adding 38oz of bleach last night):
Chlorine: about 1 (hard to read the color changed on the test I bought from walmart)
pH: 7.6-7.8

According to the strips"
Total Hardness: between low and high- stupid strip doesn't give and ok leval for nonplaster pools...seems to be closer to the higher end then the lower
TC: ok-1
FC: low - .75
pH: HIGH. 7.8-8.4
Total Alkalinity: between low and very low
Stabilizer: ok - how is this possible when I haven't added any? Is it from the city water?


Called the pool store, like I was saying will be buying a better test that tests everything with drops later today. I just added about 12oz of chlorine since it was low.

ALSO, when I woke up this morning about 8 hours after filling the pool it looked like someone had taken a cup of motor oil and threw over in the pool on the bottom. It is a brown dust that can not be picked up. I just swirled my skim net around and it dissolved. Pump ran all night. With that being said, as I filled it with my 'fabulous' city water it did have a brackish tent. This morning that tent is GONE! Good thing of coarse. However, could this brown spot have been setiment from the water or dust/pollen. Live on a dirt road in the woods. There was nothing floating in the skimmer but there was a slight ring around the inside of the skimmer that I rubbed off. The water had dropped about an 1/2 inch apparently and so I had to rub it but there was no goo or feel to it.

Thanks and sorry to be so long winded!

Oh yeah, I also bought the Aqua Chem Liquid Chlorinzor but then wasn't sure if that was the same thing as bleach or if it had a CYA so I didn't add it.... Is this the same thing as bleach?