Well R;
If you need any DIY help/advice I believe I am your man
I think most of the Calgarians would agree that if ya need some help with a project give me a shout.
I hope I am not comming across as...well stuck up?
There are many helpful people in many areas in the calgary forum and on this board in general.
So as far as your questions go.
I have made a diy skimmer out of pvc and If I could do it all over again I am sure it would be better but I found that my Red Sea Berlin skimmer works fantastic too and it was cheep. Just look for a used one. I know a few people that have them for sale.
Sand; Well use what ever you want...seriously....
Some of the calgary folk used glass (tau3201-kim)
(Delphinus-Tony) has bags of aragonite for sale at about 1/2 to 1/3 the price you would pay locally.
Lights; You can DIY for a little bit cheeper than purchasing.
I recently got a single 250w Ballast from J and L aquatics. So it's a PFO ballast and it's dam nice for the 30 to 40 dollars extra then when I made my other one with my own box and such.
Cheers.
Ask away if there is any other questions.