cleaning old sand

i am thinking of adding a refugium to my set up. I have an extra 40-50 gallon sump that i want to add to increase water volume as well as make sure nothing overflows in the event of a power outage. I was going to use a deep sand bed and some plants to help with water params. I have spare lights that will run opposite the DT lights. I will have water from the DT go into the refugium at a slower rate then the normal returns and then the refugium will "empty" into the main sump where the return pump is. I figure i can increase my water volume another 25-30 gallons.

Here is my question. I have about 55 pounds of sand from an old set up. I want to use that. Should I put the sand in a container to let it "cycle". i am sure that the sand has alot of dead "stuff" in it. I came from my 55 that was running for about 6 months. When i upgraded to a 180 i used all new sand. I was going to rinse the old sand real good put it in a container with salt water and a power head and let it run for about a month testing the water weekly. am going down the right road?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Tony

 

Two questions-- Is your new tank a (potential) reef, and did you ever use copper or other non-reef-safe meds in your old setup? If the answer is no to either one, then yes you're on the right track. Also, boiling the sand after rinsing and performing a 100% water change in the container weekly after testing will help reduce the cycle time.

If it's yes to both, then toss the sand and use new.

 

If you really would like to use your old sand, rinse it then let it completly dry then use it if not there will be many issues IMO.

 

All equipment and sand came from e reef set up. I gave it a good rinse when I broke down the 55 a year ago. I think I will reclean, dry and then cycle it before adding to my current system.

Thanks