I hate to weigh in as a newby (both to the MAAST and sw aquaria) but here goes...

I only know of two SW LFS, three if you count petco, and I do shop both. I had a terrible time with the web as there are so many contradicting schools of thought. The first time I went into AA Eddie (short guy, rather stout with a receeding hairline) took the time to walk me through the basics. His approach allowed me to begin the process of setting up at the low end of the budgetary approach.

I don't really shop there for livestock as the distance between his shop and my home along with traffic obstacles are prohibitive IMO. But his sand is half the price that I've seen anywhere else and hardware is always cheaper there than anywhere else.

Of course I've only been there and AD; I would very much like to visit these other places y'all have been mentioning.

As far as service, I like the low pressure approach and if you really want a reality check try fast food... of course I could be the only san antonian that receives the wrong order every time through drive through.