I've never seen a tigrinus here in the NW. Seen many in Cali though.... But here is a list from a MFK vendor in SoCal for 5" - 6" Tig. Let me know, as I'm interested in his offerings and split the NDA freight with ya.
Tigrinus is my backup plan. I know where I can order a 12-inch online for $750 but I want to try to find one of the others first, and I don't want to pay that much for my last pick. I included Tigrinus incase there's somebody local who needs to get rid of one and I can pick it up at a more reasonable price. The order that I listed them in is how my preference goes. I'll probably let this ride for a while longer and see what happens, but if nothing comes of this thread in the next couple weeks I'll probably end up doing exactly what you recommended with the 5-6 incher and I'll make sure I get in touch with you first.
Cool! Keep me in mind. I just want to get some thinbar datnoids as they are not as available here, but everywhere else (Seattle/Cali). I'll keep an eye out for these zebra striped catfishes.