Hi, kylabranch, and welcome to the forum!!
Your best bet is to get your pool clean and clear, using manual chlorination methods (we recommend plain, unscented bleach), and once it's in good shape, THEN use your SWCG for maintenance chlorination.
I'm not a SWCG owner, but you do need to follow your manual's recommendations for salt levels--and they are generally requirements, not general suggestions. while you're at it, you also need to note what CYA (stabilizer) level your unit requires. For most SWCGs, it's around 80 ppm.
To clear up the pool, you're going to need chlorine in some form--bleach, dichlor, cal-hypo--can you tell me the ingredient in the "shock treatment" that you added a few days ago? Why did you add half instead of the whole?
You also really need to be able to test your own water, especially if you have a mess to clean up. We very highly recommend the K-2006 test kit that you can find in the "testkits" link in my sig. But while you're waiting for that one, see if your local WalMart carries the hth 6-way drop kit--it will work for now, too. Run a set of tests, post your results here, and we can help you get the pool under control.
While you're at it, please fill out the info in this chart--it will take you only a few seconds, but will make it infinitely easier for us to give you good advice.
Pool Chart Entry Form
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