My name is Paul Allen. I am 85 years old. In 1917, the thought came to me; "wouldn't it be wonderful if you could grow good eating fish in your backyard. I started researching and discovered Tilapia. Hardly anyone had ever heard of them at that time. I found a man name Mike Sipe in Florida who had Tilapia for sale. I ordered breeding stock from him was very successful spawning them in aquariums. I set up a large tank in our backyard and was able to grow Tilapia weighing a pound and a half in less than ninety days.

Tilapia require water that is above sixty degrees Fahrenheit to survive and grow. In Arkansas where I live we have a growing season long enough to raise them. I have raised Tilapia numerous times since then and I have learned a lot. I am wanting to go through the complete process this year and create an instruction manual that will enable anyone to do the same.

The tank I will use will be 1200 gallons. When done properly, you can raise from 300 to 450 Tilapia to a nice eating size in one growing season. With the price of food today it is very worth while. This process will enable just about anyone to produce very high quality protein rich food that is generally better than what is available in the local markets.

The money I want to raise will be used to purchase a tank and all the necessary equipment. It will pay for the fish and the food and other needs to complete the project. It will enable me to make photos and videos of the process so that I can produce an instruction manual that will eliminate all the guess work in being successful at raising Tilapia in your backyard.

Some years ago, at no fault of our own, we were wiped out financially as the result of racism and persecution. We now live comfortably on a very low fixed income. We have almost and acre of land so we have plenty of room for the project.

I certainly will appreciate your donations and pledge that I will do everything possible to make the project highly successful.