ExarKun: Glad you like the tank, I'm definitely starting to like how it looks. Still evolving, but that's most of the fun. As for fish stores, I haven't found
any closer than Lovely, though I don't think it's that great. The main guy working there is a good guy, and he knows a lot, so I don't mind going in there. They seem to have good fish and some corals, but the corals are way overpriced. I go there for food and occasional supplies. The store I mentioned going to was
Tropic Isle Aquarium out in Framingham. It took me almost two hours each way because I had to take the commuter rail and then walk a couple miles (should have brought my bike). That store is excellent though, you should go if you haven't checked it out. It's out in the 'burbs where they can afford the space for a nice big showroom. They had a great selection of fish that all looked healthy, and some nice corals and a few clams. Decent prices, especially on the fish, I thought. It was worth my two hours, so if you can drive out there it would totally be worth it.
I think my favorite store in the area is down south by providence. I think they somehow don't have a website (or I can't find it) but it is either Rumford Aquarium in E. Providence or Sea Creature Aquarium north of Providence. I'm pretty sure it's the second one.
IF you ever go up north, there's one I went to up in NH by White River Junction at the VT border. Surprisingly nice, but I can't remember the name. Kinda far anyway.
By the way, have you checked out the
Boston Reefer Societey? If not, check it out, the forums are decent although they don't get the amount of participation as RC. Some of the reefers on the site have incredible tanks, and I've gotten some nice frags for very cheap.
I'm torn on the skimmer. If I get one, I'll get that one since it's cheap and I wouldn't feel to foolish if I wrecked it by modding the heck out of it. On the other hand, I haven't run a skimmer in years (and never for long) and I haven't missed it. I am considering just growing a whole bunch of chaeto and caulerpa in the right side of my sump, rather than getting a skimmer that I might have to constantly have to adjust and mess with. The algal filtration appeals to my biologist's aesthetic. But on that hand's other hand, I haven't really loved how my tank looked and had excellent coral growth, and this might be attributable to me
not running a skimmer for all this time...