I have a great petsmart and petland in my neighborhood but if I need to I'd head over to Clifton, Nj they have a great spot out there called Absolutely Fish about 16 miles from me.
Toms makes an awesome internal filter. I use this one in my daughters 2.5 http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3523858&lmdn=Fish+Filtration+%26amp%3B+Circulation. It has a good flow and it's very compact.