Best Small Fish To Cycle A Saltwater Aquarium?

So I am finally looking to setup the saltwater aquarium for my Green Spot Puffers. I plan to keep the salt gradient between 1.022 and 1.026. It is a 65G (36x18x25) tank.

I want to buy dry live rock because I do not want to buy the active live rock and it be harboring some disease from the lfs which constantly has new unquaratined stock going through the tanks. So I would like to cycle it myself. I am planning to buy live sand from the bag and mixing in pool filter sand.
I do not plan to start with a protein skimmer, but will add once tank is established. Will start with a HOB filter. I do not plan to have a sump either.

Moral of the story I would like to get maybe 2 small fish that could live in a 10 gallon so I could do a fish-in cycle. I want small ones because once the tank is cycled and puffers go in, I doubt the other fish would fair well against them lol, and I would like to keep them in a nano setup, like a coral life 16 gallon bio cube.
If you have any information that may contradict my plans lay it down! I've never done salt and opinions will be appreciated!
Thank you for reading!

 

Skip the fish in cycle and pick up a fresh pieces of table shrimp and let that do the cycling for you. Or get a bottle of Dr. Tim’s ammonium chloride works like a charm very simple. Fish in cycles are horrible for the fish.

 

Skip the fish in cycle and pick up a fresh pieces of table shrimp and let that do the cycling for you. Or get a bottle of Dr. Tim’s ammonium chloride works like a charm very simple. Fish in cycles are horrible for the fish.

 

A pair of mollies from the freshwater section of your LFS can be transitioned to saltwater slowly. Cost very little, and are more resilient than most other typical fish used in cycling SW tanks.

 

Both of these suggestions are very fair. I will probably try to do the Dr timms bacteria after a a few days or so of just filter running and dry food so there is an ammonia source, and then into the end if week one or beginning of week 2 I could introduce fish. I have heard you can do this with guppies too, which I already have on hand.

 

None. The problem with fish in cycles (outside of not being good for the fish) are that you really only need ammonia to get things going. After that continued ammonia dosing (basically what is happening every time the fish poops as well as the left over food bits to feed them) can actually cause issues with the cycle (seen it happen several times). When you use the Dr.Tims Bacteria and Ammonia you get exactly what you need to start the cycle and nothing more. The result is a cycle that follows it's course without complication and no harm done to any fish.