Help/advice needed

[cen]

Hello everyone! Need advice and please be kind. I used to have a very nice mixed reef 180 gallon salt water tank. Long story short, I had a severe bout of mental health issues and everything has dried up. It unfortunately has been like that for about 5 years. I’m in a better space mentally now and I wish to start over. Can I reuse the sand or how should I clean it or just buy new? I’d have to go digging, the bottom layers might still have some moisture. Can I just refill the tank and really take it slow with water changes until I eventually get new lights and cycle the tank? I have professional experience and I used to move tanks for a living, but this exact situation has never come up for me thanks in advance

Some details: 180 gallon tank with previous 200 pounds of live rock. 280 pounds of previously live deep sand bed. Was running successfully for 5 years before stuff happened. Originally had metal hilide lights (bad episode of hair algae whipped out all coral inverts and fish. I never did clean out the hair algae but it’s dried now) Please note, I got rid of the metal hilides and switching to led once I can afford it. I have a 220 gallons n hang on the back skimmer with an ecoteck 60 wave maker. No sump (I know I know!) 10 gallon hang on the back refugium and 2 110 gallon hang on the back filters. Tank is not plumbed for a sump.

[ReEf BoSs]

When i reused sand, i put it in a 5 gallon pale and rinsed in the bath tube turning it over until it stopped looking like dirty water. It worked okay. If there is currently no life in the tank you cant go wrong by trying if you need to . New water and time and it will all work. Id just clean everything as much as possible firs that way you’re not fighting high nutrients forever

[hillegom]

Good advice with the sand. Thats what I would do. Cheapest. There will be some nutrients left, but you could deal with that when you cycle for 30 days.
As well, I would clean the rocks. either pressure wash or soak in acid. I can't remember what kind, but someone will chime in here. The dried algae will put a lot of unwanted nutrients into the water column.
You could cycle the rock in a couple of 5 gal buckets and a power head.
Good luck with it and glad to see you are coming back into reefing