I've been using them in forage ponds for quite some time. My newest 1/4 acre pond received 10 lbs. as soon as it hit full pool. They run about a $1 a pound from the fish trucks, and there are several hundred per pound. For breeding, I use foam "mating pads" that seem to work pretty well. Craft stores sell approx 6 x 8 inch, colored foam pads that are about an 1/8 inch thick. They are about 50 for $5, and they float real well. I tie strings of 5-6 of them, spaced about 2-feet apart. I put a 3-4 oz., pyramid weight on about 6-8 foot line tied to the last of the pads. The first pad gets anchored to the shoreline. The sinker gets thrown out, and I have a string of "mating pads" for the rosy reds and the fatheads. I've also thrown in a bunch of 1-1/2 to 3-inch scraps of PVC pipe for them to use.
For some reason, the rosy reds and the black fatheads are sold separately here. I'm not sure why, but generally the rosy reds immature and are smaller than the fatheads, which are usually breeding size.
Ken
