New user with algae

[Watermom]

Most critical right now is bringing your pH up. Since 6.8 is the lowest reading on your tester, it means that it could actually be much lower than that! Readings below 7.0 are acidic and can damage your pool. Go to Walmart and buy several boxes of 20 Mule Team Borax (laundry aisle.) That is what we recommend for raising pH. You didn't list the volume of the pool, so I can't comment on dosage.

Since you already have the 6-Way kit, if you go to the same test kit link I posted above, you can just buy the FAS-DPD test (Taylor 1515) kit. This will give you the chlorine test that will allow you to measure the high chlorine levels you are going to need due to your high CYA.

[PoolDoc]

. . . membership upgraded.

Read the cl-cya page; the correct chlorine level is determined by the CYA level:

http://pool9.net/cl-cya/

With algae, you'll need 20+ ppm. Right now that translates to dark yellow with an orange tint -- to orange on your OTO test kit.

Also, you can NOT operate a DE filter with live algae in the water; it will stop up the filter almost instantly. Kill the algae, first. With very high CYA, you'll need a starting dose of 5 gallons of PLAIN 8% household bleach for each 10,000 gallons in your pool. Repeat those doses till your chlorine mostly survives overnight.

DO NOT try to test with strips or with a DPD color match; neither will give accurate readings with those chlorine levels. OTO is not too accurate, but the results will still be meaningful.