Tabs=Tablets=Pucks---By that I mean Tri-Chlor pucks.

Copper stains metal fittings and turns blonde hair green. It's not good to injest it either. It CAN inhibit algae growth, but PolyQuat and chlorine do that as well--without the side effects.

CYA protects your chlorine from breaking down from ultra-violet rays, but it does NOT make it more effective. It makes it LESS effective. However, it prevents your chlorine level from dropping to zero. So it's a balancing act of having enough CYA to protect your chlorine, but not so much as to make it ineffective. Your local conditions and preferences will determine what works best for you, but we generally recommend 30-50ppm. I like the 30ppm end, but excessive sunshine and heat can consume chlorine and the 50ppm may work better then. Some people prefer still higher levels. I believe MWSmith2 likes his CYA at 60 (Michael, feel free to contradict me if I have you confused with someone else). Check Ben's "Best Guess" table for the levels you should keep your chlorine at given your CYA level.

pH should be between 7.3 and 7.8. If it's bouncing around you need to check your "Total Alkalinity" This is NOT a measure of how alkaline your water is, but, in simplicity, is a pH buffer that prevents it moving. This is generally best between 80 and 125ppm. With vinyl pools you can go to 180ppm with no problem. Raising Total Alkalinity (TA) is easy-- you add Arm&Hammer baking soda. Lowering it is a pain, so try NOT to go beyond your target. I like TA to be in the 100-125 range, but try to get pH where you want it first.