Blair

Please share photos if they work out! I can't grow them here, so instead I will be rooting for yours. ٩( ᐛ )و

I tried looking it up, and most sources still say that cold-weather heat pumps only work until -30c, which still isn't cold enough when parts of my province reached -50c. I am not saying I don't believe you, just that I would like to know more haha. According to this, Norway is pretty comparable climate wise to the Canadian averages, but Canada does get colder, so I hope it's not just that.

Heat pumps are gaining in popularity here, just not on their own yet.

I agree that solar and heat pumps are better! However, heat pumps and electric vehicles lose effectiveness as the temperature drops. So, when it reaches -40c here, the people who own heat pumps still need their furnace as a backup. Most the time heat pumps are fine, but right now backup heat is still needed for those cold snaps or they risk the cold and their pipes freezing and bursting.

So the idea is to use a renewable source of methane as that fuel until it’s no longer needed(and stopping waste pollution while doing it).

The main difference is that it would be moving from non-renewable sources to renewables. As well as that, the methane is already there being released, it’s just right now we don’t use it and instead a large portion of the world just dumps it into the ocean or rivers untreated. So it would be turning human waste pollution into fuel and fertilizer instead of contaminating water sources and releasing the methane.

In cold climates, heat pumps don’t work when it’s gets to -40c, so people who own them have gas furnaces as a backup. The same happens with electric vehicles; their range drops with the temperature, and some stopped working a few days last winter.

SO that’s why human waste is considered a “transition fuel.” It’s an option to supplement other energy sources until we have what we need to transition away for good.

No problem! I am glad I was able to help!

Very true!

There's actually several problems with most hydro dams that sadly is often completely ignored due to it being "green energy." For example:

• Disrupting Fish Migrations. The dams can act like walls, stopping annual fish migrations. Though this is sometimes minimized using fish-ladders, often many other aquatic species that can't use the ladders are ignored.
• Displacing people and wildlife. For example, Lake Minnewanka in Alberta, Canada, has an underwater town that was flooded for a hydro-dam. The spot was also of importance to the indigenous people of the area, as it was seen to be connected to the spirit world.
• Polluting the Water. By causing higher levels of sediment and algae in the reservoirs. This is called “eutrophication.”
• Hurting or Killing Wildlife. The released water is often cold and low in oxygen, which can shock and even kill wildlife downstream.
• Water-Depletion. Reservoirs can cause water-depletion for an area, since still water evaporates faster than the water in a moving river, and the plants consume water to work.

That's why I don't always classify hydro as actually being green energy. There's hope in small-scale turbines making a comeback in a fish-friendly style https://youtu.be/KEsrAmM07fs , as well as updated takes on tidal energy, such as the wave swing. https://youtu.be/mxesgXdw0Zw

I have never owned carp, but a lot of fish are opportunistic, though have food preferences(so basically, if they are starving, they may resort to eating something, even if they prefer something else). If your setup is outdoors, they may get enough food from wild insects. For example, my mother has a very small outdoor goldfish pond with some real lily-pads, and thanks to the wildlife insects, she does not have to feed them and they are many years old. Otherwise, you could grow your own fish food (example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6k9xuW2Irck ) or some fish even like certain kitchen scraps.

AH WAIT. 💡 I just remembered a video of a system in Japan where the people of a town wash their produce and dishes in a kabata. It is basically a network of streams going from house to house, and the free-roaming fish there(which I think *might *have been carp) eat all the waste and help keep the water clean. Here is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rwxsjzjDhs I also remember this article being informative (and is where the image is from): http://ihcsacafe-en.ihcsa.or.jp/news/harie/

In regards to your story, haha I am sorry to say it does not sound like I will be much help for that. The science your story is going into is far too smart for my brain, I'm afraid. You sound like a scientist! hahaha.

A very good point! It's too bad they are not made out of natural fibre twine that has been dyed or something

I don't see why you couldn't add a loop! A lot of fish owners use sponge filters now (they sit at the bottom of the tank and release bubbles), so you wouldn't have to worry about your floaters being sucked into your filter. Also, floating plant coverage can cut down on harmful algae blooms(it cuts down on sunlight in the water) and gives your fish more places to hide, so it would be extra ideal for people with a window tank or outdoor tank. I think most people put the outtake pump (going to the plants) under the rocks or with a filter, so I don't think it would bother the setup either.

Woah! Your story sounds crazily detailed. It must be taking you a lot of research. If it helps, there are plants called "nitrogen fixers" that add nitrogen back to soil

Yes! There are studies about fish for that. You might have to be more specific for the species of fish if you want more specific answers(since fish behavior can be so different between species), but here are some studies:

• From Land to Water: Taking Fish Welfare Seriously
• The Welfare of Captive Fish
• Aquarium fishes are more aggressive in reduced environments
• Keeping Fish in Home Aquariums: Two Is Not Company, As Far As Fish Are Concerned
• Enriched environment in aquaculture enhances the survival of fish from bacterial disease

A lot of it typically comes down to the basics. For example, fish feel less stressed when they have somewhere to hide, and so if you put driftwood in a tank(simulating a log they might hide behind in a natural environment), they feel safer. Part of it making them live longer can also come from it being a breeding ground for healthy microbes, but driftwood can also release tannin's, which help with the water PH.

Here are some other studies you might like:

• Fish and veggies: Water flow for more efficient aquaponic systems
• Fish just want to have fun, according to a new study that finds even fish 'play'
• Fish under threat release chemicals to warn others of danger

These do originate from very hot and dry climates, so I agree there might be a leak in yours, or perhaps you are trying to water too large of an area with too few of Olla's.

I am in Alberta(Canada), and it did work here during our droughts when we were also dry and hot last summer, with temperatures comparable to Texas (at least according to your averages online).

However, drip lines are a good choice, too! I quite like them paired with rain barrels and battery-operated faucet timers(for automatic watering). Though I don't know if rain barrels are legal where you are? I have heard they are illegal in some places in the USA.