Thanks so much for your help and info! I'll bring that algaecide back to Walmart, btw. From reading here it seems like just a little bit of monitoring and prevention saves you a ton of trouble and work, so I'll be sure to keep the levels where they should be and not let problems start.

Thanks again. My pool is just a little dinky one but perfect for my 19-month-old twins, me, and a husband overheated from 3 hours on his mower!