Can't help you with the equipment question but regarding cycling, you are better off transferring media, gravel, or rock than water. The BB reside on hard surfaces rather than in the water column.
When I bought the tank they had a bag of ls and it said "use by sometime in 2008" would it still be good it'll only be 10 pounds but the rest will be dry
the water wont really help as said above. if it says best by 2008 i would say it will not be beneficial the point of live sand is there are living organisms in there but if it has been left that long I would be suprised if they are stil alive! I know its frustrating to wait for everything in saltwater but in my opinion your best not rushing it.