Old Gravel, CLEAN OR DONT????

[baker27marine]

I have some old gravel from a previous tank and its been sitting around for atleast a year. Should I clean the gravel before putting it in the new tank setup or leave it how it is because it might have healthy bacteria on it?

[weedkiller]

would have thought any bacteria would be dead by now bud, would give it a rinse to get the dirt out and start again

[lohachata]

i have gravel that has been sitting outside in buckets for years... before i use it i pour in some bleach and fill with hot water....let it sit for a couple of days and then rinse it real good...but that is only because of the snails..if i didn't do that , whatever tanks i put it in would be infested with snails in no time...
after awhile the bacteria dies...it is best to give it a good rinse and start over as weedkiller said..