David, Carl and I are all right, though about different interpretations of your post. I said in my post

... the short answer is that IF you maintain minimum FC levels appropriate to CYA levels (see Ben's Best Guess CYA chart), then you do not need an algaecide.

Carl said,

Start simple, follow the simple and IF that doesn't work well for you, only THEN move on to alternatives.

And David said,

When your FC gets down to 0, what is sanitizing your pool?

I had incorrectly assumed that you were either unable (due to work) or unwilling to maintain your FC levels by regular testing and daily addition of chlorine (or chlorine addition around twice a week if you get yourself a pool cover) so I gave you alternatives, but letting the chlorine get to 0 isn't good. Using algaecide is "insurance", but maintaining the pool regularly is far better. And as I and others pointed out, only the chlorine disinfects, the algaecide doesn't do that.

Sorry I got off track. Carl and David are absolutely right that maintaining your pool by keeping appropriate FC levels (relative to CYA) is the important thing to focus on. If you do that, then you won't need an algaecide. Does it hurt to use one anyway? It hurts mostly your pocketbook. Is it needed? No, not if you maintain FC levels. Can you use it on occasion when you believe you will be lapse in maintenance for whatever reason? Yes, but try and find a way to keep the FC levels up regardless (that's when the slow-dissolving alternatives *might* come in handy).

Richard