Ok, that helps a little. First off, don't be afraid to ask questions--you may think you sound stupid, but you really don't--and it's a LOT better to ask than it is to throw stuff at the pool hoping for a miracle and THEN come ask! Everybody here has been in your shoes at one time or another, and we all learn the hard way. So...

Yes, you're right, low CYA coupled with high chlorine can and will bleach suits--I didn't get that your chlorine had been high when I read your first post. It sounds to me like you shocked the pool and partially killed off the algae, but didn't complete the job before you let the chlorine drift back down. When you let it yo-yo up and down, you're fighting a losing battle. You have to shock it and hold it there until 1)the pool clears up, 2) your CC goes to zero, and 3) you don't lose any chlorine when measuring at sundown and again at sunup. After all 3 conditions are met, THEN you can let it drift back down to your normal ranges, continuing to filter 24/7 and brushing the pool daily. Just a warning, though, you may be more comfortable with the strips, but they are usually very inaccurate and only give you a ballpark at best of what your real chem levels are, so they're pretty useless when trying to clear up an algae bloom. You'd be WAY better off to use your drop kit!

Hope this helps...

Janet