First off, mbar, thanks for staying involved here. I really appreciate it.

Just back from the pool store and all their readings are in line with mineas far as chloring and cya and TA (although they wanted me to take the TA much higher than the 95 they have it at, as they recommend 125-150, but I am not touching that for now). The metal test did return a significant amount of copper, though, 2.5ppm (didn't ask them, but would you guess that is enough to turn hair green? I can't think it is since we have been swimming all summer with no problems and the copper must have been there all along), which they said it very high (I honestly have no idea). So they sold me some Pool Magnet Plus (7 quarts) and a few other things to take care of the copper.

Reading some of the other threads in the metals section I am somewhat confused (not a new state for me these days). It sounds like you cannot actually remove metals from the water but with this stuff they sold me you also use this stuff called Sparkle Up, which seems to claim that it will remove the metals through the filtering system (run for 24 hours after putting this stuff in and then backwash). So, really, I have no idea if this is true or not, but will be pleased to at least get the green gone and do whatever I need to in terms of maintanence does to keep it gone.

Of course, I have to get the chlorine down to 1 or less in order to add the stuff, so won't be able to do so until later today or tonight.

On the good side, I am continuing to bring the ph up and that seems to be helping with this cloudy green stuff too.

As for calcium, is that the same as total hardness? If so I got a reading of 65.

I will let you know how things look after I add the Pool Magnet stuff.

Again, thanks for all the help.

Oops, almost forgot to mention that they wanted to sell me pounds and pounds of stuff to raise TA and ph but I told them I was all set with that. I told the girl this all started when I added the baking soda and she said she had never heard of putting that in the pool.