it can get frustrating but just do what the mods say and you will get your pool whipped into shape. with regarts to CYA, are you confident you are doing the test correctly? if so then it sounds like you have very little or no CYA at all, and you will need to get some in there if thats the case. im running high CYA ( around 110/120ppm ) and love it, but high CYA may not be the best bet for all. most folks will run around 50ppm CYA.