How long can nitrifying bacteria live?

How long can nitrifying bacteria live? I used my old filters/filter media/sand/rocks to cycle my brand new 125g tank.

I did fishless cycling, and the tank cycled in 7 days.

My old equipment has been in my parents' basement for the past 10 years. My fluval and eheim canisters were still full of dirty, brown water when I opened them. The rocks were all dry, but the sand was still damp.

So could the bacteria live for 10 years inside my old canister filters enclosed in water and my sand??? Can the bacteria survive in those conditions???



Here are the water parameters from Day 1 to Day 8. I added ammonia on Days 2&7.


All numbers in ppm.
Ammonia Nitrite
Day1 0 0
Day2 4 Didnt test
Day3 2 2
Day4 1 5+
Day5 0 2
Day6 0 0
Day7 2 Didnt test
Day8 0 0

I only tested nitrate on Day1&8. It was 0 on Day 1, and 40 on Day 8.

I did test nitrates. 40ppm on Day8

ehh said:

You need to test the nitrates.


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No cycling products. Only Prime.

predatorkeeper87 said:

I...highly doubt it...did you use any cycling products like stability or safestart? I mean cool if they lived in those dirty filters that long, If there was enough decaying material in there to last 10 years...i dont see a reason why they couldnt live, but for there to be that much organic material to decomp is hard to believe haha.

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Well the consensus is no. But all the water parameters point to yes. I double checked and used other people's kits as well.

My only guess is life will find a way to survive.