I just finished construction of a brand new in ground pool with an Aqua White PebbleTec finish (blue based plaster). After filling it with well water (no detectable concentrations of iron or coipper), it was a deep bright blue and looked beautiful.

My pool contractor was paid to do a "start up", so he shows up, dumps a gallong of muriatic acid in without even testing the water conditions, shocks the heck out of it, and puts in Jack's Magic Magenta.

Instant dark green murk! He leaves sayoing its normal and will clear up in a few hours. Of course it doesn't, and I start to panic because the plaster is still curing and I don't want it to be permanently stained.

Asking this particular contractor for help is like asking someone who just ran you over becasue they don't know how to drive to back up and do it again, so I attempt to fix this myself. I bring water samples to local pool store, confirm no minerals (in well water and pool water), and find out the pool water is very acidic (low pH), calcium deficient (soft), extremely low alkalinity (20), and has mega chlorine (6). This is an ozone, mineral ionization system by Jandy so the chlorine levels should be kept fairly low.

So I get calcium chloride flakes to increase the hardness, sodium bicarbonate to raise the alkalinity, and an algae treatment and mineral treatment as the supply store says they are recommended for all pool startups.

After treatment, the pool has mostly cleared and actually looks pretty good, but while it was a deep bright blue when it was first filled (and before any chemicals were added), not its kind of a pale blue-green.

Everything seems to be in balance now, but I am now just a tad on the high side on alkalinity, hardness and pH.

I want to get back to the deep blue waters I had...any suggestions?