This has taken me a few weeks to post (thanks to stupid shenanigans going on at work) but just wanted to post about the experience that Cory and I had up in Dallas at True Percula and Dallas North Aquariums...

PROS: WOW! Talk about selection... It was everything I've ever looked for online, plus all the stuff you usually see in LFS, plus more stuff I didn't even know existed. Oh, and it's worth the trip just to check out some of the display tanks at True Perc... I was impressed. Their livestock was TOP NOTCH, especially at True Perc. I didn't see a single fish or coral that looked sick or stressed. I don't know how they do it, but they sure do it right. Hell, we even managed to find a mandarin that EATS up there (live/frozen brine, frozen mysis, frozen bloodworms, you name it... the only things he won't eat are all the foods made "for picky eaters, like mandarin dragonets" LOL). We truly could've spent all day staring at the beautiful nano tanks at True Percula. The staff at both shops was very helpful, but quite honestly I'd have to give the edge to TP over DNA. There was just something "used car salesman" IMHO about the guy at DNA. Friendly, but a bit, er, well... OH, and a GREAT selection of used tanks. I still want to cry at the (sold) 155RR with tank, stand, and canopy for $300...

CONS: EXPENSIVE. A lot of stuff was double to triple the prices I've seen in Austin or online. The drive was looooong. And, um... did I mention how long the drive was?

All in all a great trip, and well worth checking out those shops (IMHO) if you find yourself with a weekend to burn...