Found a few links I had kept. The bacteria types for FW aquaria may be wrong, I just looked at survival times. I know I've seen other links (if anyone has any?) and I've always thought it interesting that columnaris bacteria is said to survive a month in an empty fish tank.
Nitrite as a Stimulus for Ammonia-Starved Nitrosomonas europaea
Sand cultures of
N. europaea that had been starved for 1, 2, and 3 months in their own spent medium (i.e., in the presence of 5 mM nitrite) were decanted, and fresh mineral medium containing 5 mM ammonium was added. The ammonium-starved cells started to produce nitrite immediately (Table
(Table1).1).
Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle | Cycling Methods | Ammonia & Nitrates
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Some ammonia oxidizing bacteria can revive more quickly than others.
After 342 days of ammonia starvation, the AOB N. europaea, was shown to have an immediate response to the addition of ammonia as measured by nitrite production, without initial protein synthesis.
Reference: Molecular Analysis of Ammonia Oxidation in Natural Environments
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