Yes, I did make it! I was really impressed with the store, & very suprised at how busy it was. The big show tank was nice, but I have to say that I loved the nano, & corner tank with the seahorses as much as the big display. I was also really pleased to see a big planted FW tank. Planted freshwater tanks are what attracted me to the hobby in the first place, & I dont think they get enough press.
It was also nice to see such a large & diverse supply of coral, AND livestock. I dont know if anyone will know what I am talking about, but in one of the tanks, I saw a really brightly colored (thini twas pink * yellow) snail.... I think it was a nudibranch, but a guy was workin on those tanks, so I didnt get close enough to see. If it was a nudi, arent that kind very hard, or impossible to keep alive in a home tank? Seems like I just read that somewhere, but couldnt recall where. I thought it would be a great addition, but dont want to put something in my tank that I would have no shot at keepin alive.
I also thought that the staff of the store was really personable. Everyone seemed to be helping someone. The lady behind the counter joked with my wife that our oldest had "babysitter" written all over her (we also had our 4 & 5 year old with us). It was a nice little trip up from Charleston... I would have loved to have spent more time lookin at the stuff, but I did good to get the family to accompany me at all, so we didnt stay for too long.
Great store!