Hardware & Pets in Murphysboro, Illinois seems to be fairly knowledgeable and they have some really interesting sp. although my N. notopterus was mislabelled. They also had a longnose gar, some piranhas and a really overpriced vampire pleco among other things. Petco in Carbondale is fairly run of the mill but the main fish guy, Eric, is very knowledgeable. Dee's Pets in Marion has a wide selection but the staff are kind of dense... And Fish Tales in the same town is crap, don't go there for fish. LOL