aquarium designs is great

[Jeff]

jason has put togeather one of the finest stores that i have ever seen. even though he is incredibly busy, he will take time to say hi, to you and will have some one take care of you if he can't. this is the only store that usually has a selection of gorgonians instead of one every six months, and the fish look very healthy. i have actually heard the words " we just got that in today and it doesn't look to good,so i wont sell it to you unless it gets better." :o keep up the good work jason and your dad, your shop is top notch. :D

[FireWater]

I know myself and Texreefer have done business with Jason several times. I second the fact that everyone in the store will take time to help you out no matter what and will not tell you what you want to hear just to make a sell. I keep going back time and time again. Jason makes sure he is competitive in pricing and selection on everything. They get orders in usually two to three times a week for livestock. I have been trying to get him to be a sponsor of MAAST. With the prices he has ,the way he does business, and the beauty of his shop I love going back again and again.

[erick]

I agree, they are both (Jason and his dad) top notch folk!! I go every weekend, and they ALWAYS stop what they are doing and say hello, and try to help. I have bought coral, fish and accessories from them and they are always priced right for me (tight teacher budget!). I would recommend them to anyone without hesitation.

[cbianco]

I was there when they were first setting up and I have nothing but nice things to say about this store. Very informed and kowledgeble personel!


...(tight teacher budget...

Join the club :lol

Christopher

[5.0Stang]

I like the fact that on the tank the fish are in the tell you the date they got the fish and a check if its been eating or not!

[Texreefer]

top notch store.. i have sent a lot of business their way

[Janus]

I would have to agree. Having seen those guys bend over backwards trying to help me repair my old system even when I hadn't at that point bought anything from their store. Also being newer to the hobby I have alot of questions whenever I am in a fish store. They have always been patient and very informative, and most of all not pushy about selling.

Top notch

[aprilmayjune]

I have only been there once but the first thing he said when I walked in was 'We specialize in saltwater aquariums, we have a few freshwater tanks on the other side if you want to look over there.' No thanks.

Maybe I went on an off day, but probably half of the LPS was dead or dying, although I admit the gorgonians were gorgeous. Some of the fish looked beat up, the tangs had ich, the powder blue was swimming in circles over and over and over again. I talked to the son just briefly but he was a little rude so I left.

I could have caught them with a bad shipment or maybe a bad day overall since he seemed kind of annoyed with me. I don't know why he would have been though I didn't say much of anything. I need to go back so I can shake this bad first impression if everyone says its a great store.

[erikharrison]

I've been there a couple of times, and you can tell that there nice, just when they're busy, you can see the stress on their faces from running around custy to custy. The store is awesome, just needs to be about 3x the size it currently is. I bought quite a few things from there, and I have had success with each thing I've bought. I absolutely love our Sebae Anenome. Just don't buy coral from the 15 dollar section unless you look it over REALLY well.

[erikharrison]

Oh yeah, my girlfriend likes it because the bathroom isn't too bad, she still "hovers" though. :)

[#1Stunna]

I have only been there once but the first thing he said when I walked in was 'We specialize in saltwater aquariums, we have a few freshwater tanks on the other side if you want to look over there.' No thanks.

Maybe I went on an off day, but probably half of the LPS was dead or dying, although I admit the gorgonians were gorgeous. Some of the fish looked beat up, the tangs had ich, the powder blue was swimming in circles over and over and over again. I talked to the son just briefly but he was a little rude so I left.

I could have caught them with a bad shipment or maybe a bad day overall since he seemed kind of annoyed with me. I don't know why he would have been though I didn't say much of anything. I need to go back so I can shake this bad first impression if everyone says its a great store.

You definitely came after they were rushed. I have bought nearly 100% of my live stock from there because of their fair prices (corals especially, have yet to see that many corals in the $20-25 range elsewhere) quality fish and excellent customer service/knowledge. Jason isnt a rude person so maybe you were just rubbed the wrong way by him. But if you just dont like the guy (which happens sometimes for no reason) talk to Lance. But how can you cast a negative light on the fact that he has a couple (maybe 6) FW tanks? I dont mind a couple, but places like fintique have maybe 6 SW tanks to their ton of FW. Talk about waste of time. But they had decent tank accessories, so its all about what your looking for.

[Bill S]

I finally went in about a week ago, and decided to try them and bought some fish. All did well. I don't like that he's NOT a MAAST sponsor - says he doesn't need to be, that everyone from MAAST already comes in! Good supply of dry goods. Only thing I didn't like was that he wouldn't order specifically for me, and won't hold anything for even a few hours. Even when I offered to pre-pay. I have 3 tanks, including a large one, so I spend a LOT of money. I'll probably stick with AW, FA & CB.

[#1Stunna]

^thats because he kept getting burned. When ever he would bring something in for someone they would change their minds, not pay, not pick up, etc. I understand why he changed to doing that but he just instated this policy. Im sure he would fudge it a little if it wasnt your first time in the shop. I understand you would be paying for it first. but at the same time he dosnt want to be stuck holding a fish for weeks if you dont come back. I understand both sides.

[urban79]

Jason is cocky. And #1stunna is right. If everyone went in there and bought couple of things from a tank. But say can I pick it up later. The next person would come in and would have to try to find somethen that wasnt bought. But if you go in there alot he would do a order for you .

[Bill S]

Hmm. Chicken or the egg. What you are saying is, if I spend enough money there, I'd eventually get what I get elsewhere? Since the other shops have no problem ordering for me, or holding something for a couple of hours, especially when I prepay, what would make me continue to go to his shop? If I prepay, why would he have a problem holding it for a couple of hours? It's not that I go in, pick out an item, and ask them to hold it - I'll call and if they have it, ask them to hold if for a couple of hours. It's their decision to say yes or no. But, if they say no, I'm not likely to go back. My word is good. I buy from LFSs rather than online, because they consider me a good customer, and treat me that way. The more I think about this, the more I'm happy with CB, FA & AW - they are probably reading this, and grinning. I hope Jason knows you are speaking for him?

[#1Stunna]

I wasnt speaking for jason at all. I dont work for him, I barely know the guy. On what grounds would I have the authority? I also didnt know this was such a touchy subject for you and others so I will refrain from saying anything more on said subject. I just thought you would want to know a logical reason why he didnt want to hold items for everyone. Im sure you can understand the problem you can have with (seemingly) full tanks but nothing to sell. I just figured since you were in the area why not give the shop more than just one shot? I think your practice of buying locally is ideal and I try to do the same. Thats all.

[Bill S]

Seriously, that's cool - it SOUNDED like you might work there, that's all. And, I was just airing my thought process. I'm sure I'll go in again - it's just that 1) I would rather do business with folks that support local clubs (MAAST), and 2) I'd like to be able to special order items (Louis does this ALL THE TIME for me) WITHOUT the assumption that I'm a deadbeat. That's all.

[z28pwr]

Bill I see your point of view and I agree that it is good to support MAAST Sponsors. Regarding the holding of fish I've seen people at Alamo aquatics pay for a fish, place it on hold, come back a day later and the fish is dead and they want their money back and it's a loss to the store since they could have sold that fish to somebody else that would have picked it up. I've known Jason for many years and he's been nothing but top notch and as he get's to know you he will help you find the fish you want.

[Bill S]

Regarding the holding of fish I've seen people at Alamo aquatics pay for a fish, place it on hold, come back a day later and the fish is dead and they want their money back and it's a loss to the store since they could have sold that fish to somebody else that would have picked it up.

And, the "somebody else" would have had a dead fish and been very unhappy!

Even if a store has a guarantee, a customer that pays for a new fish and has it die in 24 hours is either going to be 1) very unhappy or 2) question their own husbantry skills. Neither is good for the hobby.

[brewercm]

I haven't been to the store yet and have wanted to get by there once my tank is up and going.

Regardless of the store I prefer to buy something that has been in for a while and I know is eating if at all possible. If that is not the case then I realize that it's the risk I take in buying basically a drop shipped fish. I suppose for a new business with little knowledge of their customers and who is and isn't trustworthy they could offer a special order pay in advance or deposit. Then let you know the day the item is to come in and give you a specific time limit to pick up or it will go back up for sale with a loss of money you paid up front (or portion there of to be decided). Maybe that could be more work than it's worth also but seems to me it would be fair. Then they get to know who to trust and who not to as far as holding a fish for them.

I also know of at least four LFS's in town that if I call and they have something I want they'll easily hold it for me, but I do suppose that comes with the amount of $$ I've spent there in the past.

I will give this shop a try, soon hopefully.

[Bill S]

One thing I REALLY like about Jason/Jason's store, is the policy I think he started at Alamo - everything in each tank has a label with the date it came in, and a "check mark" indicates whether or not it is eating.

[erikharrison]

I bought a seabae anemone there that was on "hold". Personally, cash in hand speaks. People have eyes bigger than their wallets (I am this example) and will bite off more than they can chew. He had that anemone on hold for over 24 hours, and if I hadn't inquired, would probably not have gotten it. I did however beat out four people that asked for it as they were about to bag it up! Jason is great, he is just aprehensive, which is his right. We all have reasons for doing what we do, when we do it, so maybe he will come around. Don't give up on a store due to 1 bad experience. It's better to support all of our LFS in town to spread the money around and keep some competition in this market! I really enjoy "LFS HOPPIN'" as does my gf's little four year old. If you have a bad experience, and it's bad enough to not go back, dont. :) Everyone has a threshold, if you feel someone has gone beyond it, no one is forcing you to go back! I agree with Bill about the fish being an eater or not, it's GREAT to see that.

[brewercm]

Went by yesterday afternoon and was impressed with the overall store. Very friendly staff and very helpful, at least the person I was dealing with. I wish I could remember his name. Prices were a little high but if the life stock will last when I get it home because they took good care of it before the purchase then it could be worth it.

[erick]

I have dealt with Jason on a number of occasions, and he has always been upfront and top notch. Having to start a new LFS requires ALOT of overhead, and the return on your money is, well, not that great, even when you have been in business for awhile. He has always helped me out, and has even gone so far as to donate to my schools tank. Last week he told me that business was booming, but he did not want customer service to lack because of the increased business. I feel that this is a good sound business practice, and he has proven customer service to me every time I have gone in. His father also has been as helpful as he can be. Please dont take 1 bad experience and hold it against someone, as I have had other MAAST-sponsor-LFS's in town let me down and I still continue to spread my business around. I would recommend Aquarium Designs to anyone, with confidence that they will be treated right.

[aprilmayjune]

But how can you cast a negative light on the fact that he has a couple (maybe 6) FW tanks? I dont mind a couple, but places like fintique have maybe 6 SW tanks to their ton of FW. Talk about waste of time.

I definitely don't think badly of them because they have freshwater tanks, I absolutely love freshwater fish almost as much as saltwater. It was just the way he brushed me off without even a hello because he assumed I didn't have a saltwater tank and maybe wouldn't be any business to him. When I tried asking questions about some of the livestock he gave me snappy answers kind of like I do to customers when I'm annoyed and they aren't listening to my advice. I told him I worked in the pet industry and then I felt like he thought I wasn't good enough to talk to because he was a shop owner and I wasn't. Also he was getting a shipment in the next day and I noticed a few fish on hold in the store. I wanted one of the fish from the shipment so I asked if I could pay and pick him up when the shipment arrived and he said no, thats not possible. I wasn't asking for him to hold it in his tanks, just until I got there to grab it straight from the box.

The guys working in the store were really nice and did answer my questions though. Again, it could have been one of those stressful days and I just happened to stop in at the wrong time.

[Bill S]

I was in the shop again today. I found everyone very friendly and helpful. I do wish he was a MAAST sponsor, though.

[emac]

I went there the other day. I have a horible memory but i think the guy that greeted me right as i walked in was the manager. he was very nice, asked right away if i had a saltwater tank and gave me a run down of the store. i was in amazed because he actually took the time to run me through the store and also because they had more corals than any shop i've been to. i begain to think that this guy was going to be like a car sales man and hover around me the whole time i was there but right at the perfect time he said "just let us know if we can help you" like he knew that i just wanted to walk around. I think i like that the store is small because, i never for one second had a problem finding someone to help me. over all i think the store was pretty cool.

[erikharrison]

April, he probably wouldn't hold the fish due to the fact that they won't sell fish that don't eat. Also, he probably wants you to come back after the fish is there to see what else is available. That's an old sales trick.... Alot of times it seems that he gets so busy that he just doesn't have a ton of experience with that big of an influx of customers, and I'm sure I would be bouncing around like mad too. I can say that we have been to your store as well, and older white dude (forget his name off the top) has seemed the same way. In fact, when my tank came into y'alls store, I came to pick it up by myself, and not one person helped me to my car with it. I don't look down on your store for it, as I understand that sometimes people get a little spacey when there are more people than they know what to do with. Patience is key. I did load up my 47 gallon all by myself, even holding the door open for myself, praying that it wouldn't close and break my tank. I have been confused by some of the looks I have gotten from Jason, but it's been my experience that he doesn't mean any harm, as every time I go in there, he says "hey Erik, what's up man?" which is cool, remembering names is a HUGE thing in sales. Small store, lotsa stuff/people = confusion..... especially when you also have to make sure that people aren't stealing. I have yet to meet an LFS owner that was an outright jerk.

[kirkandkhristi]

I went into the shop for the first time on Saturday. Let me first say that before my little reef tank, 90% of my experience was with Alamo Aquatics, 9.5% with Texas Tropical, .4% with Petsmart, and .1% with Fintique. This was obviously for my 3 freshwater tanks. I have spent many hours in Alamo and have been on a first name basis with several of the folks there over the years. I have learned to discern their "truth" from their sales pitch. When I go in now, I will only deal with Mona because she knows her stuff and she knows that I know mine (when it comes to freshwater that is). Jason helped me on several occasions when he was there, altough he spent more time on their saltwater stuff while I was interested in the freshwater stuff.

So, when I got into this reef scene, needless to say I was surprised to find that there are other shops in town. FB, FA, AD, and AW are all relatively close to each other, but not my house, so I was pretty excited to finally get to check out these shops. I have not yet made it to AW, but it is next on my list. I absolutely love FA, what a great little shop and I really like the wish list. FB is also a really cool little shop, I do like it. The first time I tried to go to AD was on a tuesday, and of course they were closed. So wednesday, I finally got to check it out. The physical structure, the facilities are top notch in my opinion. I think the store is well organized and it was nice being able to pick up off the shelf a 9 watt UV bulb for my steralizer. The price was hands down the best in town, no contest whatsoever. We were not immediately greeted at the door, but that is okay, I don't get that at most places anyway, nor do I expect it. The reason I wanted to go to this shop is that I have been eyeing the Red Sea Max 34g cube, and I was shocked to see 2 of them on the floor and one that was up and running. I was a little disappointed in the pricing though as he had it at the exact same price and everyone else, but he did have the stand at significantly less than most. So after I drooled over this tank, I started checking out the stock. I didn't really look at the fish, as my little 14g won't hold much but I did check out the corals. Again, the tanks and presentation are wonderful, but there were several corals that were bleached and/or just not real healthy looking. I would not say the prices were amazingly low, but certainly competitive. I did see what I think was a Red Trachiphylia, but it was almost completely bleached white. The store was extremely clean to include what is quite possibly the cleanest bathroom of any fish store. Jason and I started to talk and I kept thinking, "I know this guy somehow". This is when he asked if I spent time in Alamo and I remembered where I had seen him. He could not remember my name, but I suspect he will in the future. I would not call Jason rude by any means. He is a little bit cocky and has a somewhat strange sense of humor, but he is willing to help out. I was a bit bummed when he said there is no MAAST discount, but the reason he gave me was because he feels his prices are so good anyway, he does not need to give the discount. Well, I am okay with this I suppose. Competitive? On a huge chunk of his stock, this is true. I thought the liverock was a bit high, but I still walked out with 6 pounds of Tongan and was glad to get it. If his shop were closer to my house, I would be there every week, guaranteed. As it is, I find I spend a little too much time at Ed's...

Okay, so before I actually posted this, I read it again, and jeez, I sound like a freaking commercial for his shop. This was not necessarily the goal of the post. Like I said my first experiences had been with the above stated freshwater shops, and after visiting his shop, I just had to post because I really do like his shop and find all of the little reef shops so refreshing as each one is different. Heck, just about any reef shop impresses me for any number of reasons.

I will shut up now. :blink

[tony]

i swung by to take a look at the store. great store, nice guy, but i probly wont be back i would rather support a store that supports us.

[brewercm]

As far as the Red Sea 34 goes (that is a sweet setup also), they may have to sell at a set price. I know Tunze was and may still be that way about their products. If they catch an authorized dealer selling for less they can pull the product.

Just a possibility.

[aprilmayjune]

erik... that is weird no one helped you out. i ask EVERYONE i help if they could use a hand or a dolly. did you pick it up during the morning? i have been working morning shifts lately and sometimes I will come up from the fishroom and no one is ANYWHERE throughout the store. i have to wait like 5 or 10 minutes yelling names for someone to finally come back to the counter. the afternoon crew is usually really good about carry outs.

[Jeff]

jason does support maast but is not a sponser yet. he wants to wait untill his business settles before he becomes a sponsor. besides he already gives discounts to people he has done business with for a couple of years. as he gets to know you he will hook you up with anything that he can get ahold of.

[dwdenny]

I was in there yesterday and they were very nice. As soon as I walked through the door they were there to help asking if needed any help. The prices were a little higher then I expected but overall I had a great experience. They even gave me a Styrofoam box to put my LR and snails in so they wouldn't be all over the truck on way home. I would go back to look for specific pieces. Equipment seemed price good as well from what I could see.

[erikharrison]

erik... that is weird no one helped you out. i ask EVERYONE i help if they could use a hand or a dolly. did you pick it up during the morning? i have been working morning shifts lately and sometimes I will come up from the fishroom and no one is ANYWHERE throughout the store. i have to wait like 5 or 10 minutes yelling names for someone to finally come back to the counter. the afternoon crew is usually really good about carry outs.

they let me use the dolly, but no one even helped open a door! It's hard rolling a dolly around that's made of plastic, with your tank wiggling around. It's ok though, I was just saying, all stores have their days (except Louis, lol, always on top of things!)

[tony]

aprilmayjune, which store do you work at?

[jroescher]

I went last Sunday when my other favorite stores were closed. Excellent experience. Very friendly and helpful staff. Now it's on my list of must visit stores when I go to San Antonio.

Offered discounts to MAAST if you have your card to show. And to police, fire, & EMS.

[aprilmayjune]

they let me use the dolly, but no one even helped open a door! It's hard rolling a dolly around that's made of plastic, with your tank wiggling around. It's ok though, I was just saying, all stores have their days (except Louis, lol, always on top of things!)

hmm. thats really rude. sorry about that!

[erikharrison]

it happens.... I still love that store!

[jrnannery]

Straight up, Jason, his father, Lance, the two other guys I have seen there, the stock (both live and on the shelf), all kick butt. I love this store, and they know me by name. Cool folks, cool store.

[steelrod79]

I have also been in there and they are such a great help and always seem to have stock in. I am in the store at least once a week to see what catch my eye. Great job guys at aquarium designs

[RockoC87]

I went in today and i have to say, they had some nice corals, clean well displayed tanks, healthy fish, and not too bad prices. They have done an awesome job as far as making the store presentable to customers, and the staff was very helpful to me, i ended up staying in there just chatting with them for about half an hour before i bought my new yellow leather coral which was only 24.99 which i believe is a descent price, they are coming at it from more of a business aspect instead of just trying to get everybody the cheapest thing possible, but they still keep the prices somewhat reasonable, (THEY AREN"T COMPLETELY RIPPING YOU OFF), plus the extra cash for the nicer coral and such, is going to the customer service they are offering and the high quality corals, and if any business is going to succeed and i mean make money, not just break even they, have to have some mark up, even if us reefers, do know how much we could get some coral for on the internet or some other source and risk it not being as good quality without previewing it like you can at this store. They keep there store clean inside and out and are nice and provide input and logic/sense as far as you saving some money in the wallet. I like the store for now and have not had any bad experiences with it yet, so until then I support their business 100%. Besides nobody wants a great reef store to go under because everybody wouldn't spend the extra few dollars. And believe me, im in college i need to watch my budget more than anyone. Every business has markup, we just aren't as knowledgeable about the products and prices like we are for reefkeeping, and im sure if we were some people would be shocked to know just how much they paid for things over the price of a wholesalers cost or what not, so to everybody: don't worry be happy and check out aquarium designs for yourself. Thank you,
Chase

[beerguy]

went in there two days ago and they have really stepped up their corals. they got some higher end stuff now to go along with the usual. lots of great color. now, if some one could just get them to put little critters (more crabs/shrimp/lobsters/mantis?) in the tanks near the fresh water they would be excellent. like they arent already....

[RockoC87]

agreed

[AlienAnchovies]

man this shop is friggin great, i bought a skimmer that was way to big and they let me swap it out for another smaller one with out a hassle
once again great shop

[hanknmorgan]

Couldnt agree more. We are regular customers, I mean browsers. My wife and I love to go in there and dream. We have a small tank/budget but we stop in about once a week if nothing else just to look around. They are the friendliest and most helpful store I have ever been in and they really take care of their customers. Their tanks are extremely clean and they have a nice selection of livestock and equipment. I recommend that everyone check them out for sure.

[Jeff]

they have some great zoas in right now.

[erikharrison]

Went by there this weekend, and bought some sweet ricordia!!!! It was a tad pricey, but what isn't in this hobby? I also picked up some really sweet zoas, a red bubble tipped anemone, and a new SPS branded bulb (250w HQI). The bulb was only $70.00 in store. Great prices all around, especially considering shipping costs etc. Gotta love it!

[brieman]

Just went there, spent a little more than I anticipated but worth it, very nice store.

[shon.preston]

I've been a few times now, bought all my green chromis' from there, and some other random items. although this last time i went in for a solution to my hairy algae growth problem, i was told by a younger (new?) kid that i haven't seen in there before that the diamond goby is the only fish that will eat the algae off the sand, so i added my name to their request list to call me when they get one in. Well after doing a little googling and posting here i found out that this info is wrong, the diamond goby only sifts the sand and often causes messes in reef tanks. So now i have to call them and change my request. Other than that I've had nothing but good experiences there, sand o far i find Jason to be a pretty awesome, helpful guy, along with most the rest of the staff.

[bbyrom]

Bstreep,

I am sure that your word is good, but unfortunately most people's is not. For that reason, trust must be earned. (see #1stunna)

In my experience if you eran the trust of your local guys they will bend over backward for you.

Everyone else,

I would ike to offer an outsider's view, as I will very soon no longer be an outsider...

There is no reason that SA should not be a Mecca for reefkeepers. I have seen many posts that blame a weak market for the lack of local shops and lower quality products. The answer is simple:

The beauty of a free market lies in the fact that consumers can mold and shape that market AS THEY DESIRE!

You can be upset about a fish priced $10 more that the online stores, but you will never arrive home to find a bag full of brown water with a fish floating somewhere inside.

Keep in mind that our local guys are not living in million dollar homes. Every dollar you try to knock off of a coral is a dollar that does not go hom to their families. These guys are not trying to gouge us like the petro companies, they are just trying to make a living doing something they love.

The responsibility for this industry falls to us, the consumers. Either we are willing to pay for exquisite poducts, or we are not. If our local guys bring in great stuff and it sits in their tanks, they will not bring it in again.

I hear much desire for higher quality specimens. As we the consumers buy higher quality items, it will encourage the local guys to bring in more variety. If they know we are willing to pay a premium for a great piece, they will be more likely to take the chance. Here is the catch: IT COSTS THEM MORE! So don't be surprised when it costs you more.

I will lay out my motivation right here: I love my tank. My family and I will be here indefinately, so it is in my interest to support my local stores as an INVESTMENT in the future of my tank. There is absoultely no reason that this town can not support a massive marine aquarium undustry. It just needs our support. Personally, I am happy to throw my extra $5-$10/fish in as an investment in the future of my locas fish stores and my tank.

[LoneStar]

I've been a few times now, bought all my green chromis' from there, and some other random items. although this last time i went in for a solution to my hairy algae growth problem, i was told by a younger (new?) kid that i haven't seen in there before that the diamond goby is the only fish that will eat the algae off the sand, so i added my name to their request list to call me when they get one in. Well after doing a little googling and posting here i found out that this info is wrong, the diamond goby only sifts the sand and often causes messes in reef tanks. So now i have to call them and change my request. Other than that I've had nothing but good experiences there, sand o far i find Jason to be a pretty awesome, helpful guy, along with most the rest of the staff.

Well I think you have learned what many have on here. No matter what store you go to, be a informed consumer. Either do research on what you want to buy before going into the store, or scope out what you want and come back after you read up on it.

Carrying these books into a LFS will allow you to read up on a fish or coral that you may not know about.....for when that impluse buy MUST be made :)

PocketExpert Guide: Marine Fishes by Scott W. Michael
http://www.marinedepot.com/IMD/250/BKPGMF/BKPGMF_99.jpg
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idProduct~BKPGMF.html

PocketExpert Guide: Marine Invertebrates by Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D
http://www.marinedepot.com/IMD/250/BKPGMI/BKPGMI_99.jpg
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idProduct~BKPGMI.html

I've seen copies of these at LFS too. Just ask if they have any you can skim through.

[erikharrison]

FYI Jason is using a new distributor for getting in zoas. That is why all of the sudden it seems like he has just started landing some really nice stuff.

[captexas]

I second Lonestar on the research. I actually keep a copy of the Marine Fishes Pocket Guide in my truck so if I'm out browsing the LFS's I can look up whatever catches my eye.