The cycle can be a confusing thing, especially if you're new. Don't let it hurt your head :)
My thoughts here would be:
You can use dry rock and either dry sand or the bagged "live" sands like the CaribbSea sands. I don't know how "live" these sands really are, and many here advise rinsing them before use anyway (contrary to what the direction on the bag of sand say).
You will then need a bottled bacteria product, such as Fritz Turbo Start is well regarded, or Dr. Tim's One and Only, Brightwell's Microbacter, and if you can find it, BioSpira. OUt of them all, I presonoly like the Dr. Tim's, but I think the Fritz TurboStart is widely considered the "fastest acting" of all these products.
You then need a source of ammonia to "feed" the bacteria. Many just toss a piece of shrimp from the grocery store in the tank, the shrimp will decompose, and produce ammonia. In the same way, you can simply add some fish food to the tank (with no fish). But I prefer bottled ammonium chloride from Dr. Tim. I think it's a bit more controllable (you have no idea how much ammonia a piece of shrimp is creating), and it doesn't smell, which the shrimp method definitely can stink up your house sometimes.
https://www.chewy.com/dr-tims-aquat...MI6e7Nt5XCiwMVn0pHAR1hjiuuEAQYASABEgIRJPD_BwE
That said, if it's affordable and if you have an LFS with some really good quality live rock, I would start your tank with that. Hands down, you'll have an easier time, less (to no) cycle, and less (if any) of an "ugly phase", which is something a new tank with dry rocks goes through, and it's just what it sounds like lol!
Not cheap, but absolutely a really great way to go would be to use some to all ocean maricultered rock and sand from Tampa Bay Saltwater. This stuff is fantastic! It comes with all the biology you need, and some you don't want, but that's not a big deal, in my opinion. Behold!
https://tbsaltwater.com/
You can also use mostly dry rock and just a little live rock, that definitely helps. You can use dry rock and make a fancy looking aquascape, and then add some real live rock to your sump or AIO filter section.
Getting at least a little real live rock I think is just a good idea for biodiversity, and you'll likely get some coralline and possibly other hitchhikers. Many, many hitchhikers if you go with the rock from Tampa Bay Saltwater. Or, if you have multiple GOOD local fish stores, get a chunk of rock from each for the greatest bio diversity.
Last, I stress GOOD LFS's because I have a pet store near me, not a dedicated fish store, that has a tank of rock covered in cyano and diatoms, it's just awful looking stuff. But the kicker to me is that they actually have a sign that says, "Start your tank off right with live rock!". I mean, the sign is correct, but I'd rather use dry rocks than start with the garbage this store calls "live rock".
Sorry that this was a long post, but I hope it helps! Cycling can be confusing, so please post again if you have further questions, and I'm sure someone will help you.
Good luck!
