Newbie looking for advice

[es355lucille]

Hi guys & gals,
I am new to this forum. I am looking to get into SW fish and am looking for advice. I have not purchased anything but a couple of books: What Fish?, The Saltwater Aquarium handbook and Corals (the complete pet owners manual). Does anyone have advice on retailers in the Calgary, Alberta area?
I know there are a lot of "pet stores" but where are the places that are the most knowledgeable and know what they are doing?

Any advice on start aquarium sizes? I realize that "live" sand and "live" rock is quite expensive, so I am trying to find a good size, but I don't want to mortgage the house to do it. Any suggestions? Room is not an issue as we have the room to place a fairly large tank.

I would like to purchase an aquarium and get the sand and live rock in place for a couple of months to get the eco system running well before placing any fish.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Thank you all for a very cool forum you have here.

Brad