Brentp,
Just following up on my earlier post. I did ditch the taylor kit and rely on the strips. However, what I found out was that my water (Atlanta) needs a lower TA than then "recommended" in order to get my PH right. I believe I have seen other posts here that suggest that is the case for some. The thought is that PH is more important than TA. If you can stablize your PH at a TA level below "recommended", then you are good to go.