Hi Gmax, I am not a experienced pond owner but in the 2-3 years that we have had our trout pond, I have found a few things that work. Fathead minnows seem to be a great food source for trout. I put in one gallon the first year and they seem to thrive and reproduce in the weeds. The trout are feasting on them.
In regard to aeration, the first year I incorrectly aerated 24/7 and I lost all 200 rainbows. The next year I aerated only 2-3 hours a day (mostly very early in the morning) and the trout survived very nicely. I aerate in the winter only by the dock 3 times a day for 15 minutes each time. That is where I feed the trout a limited amount of Pellets in the winter.
