Having adult shiners going 8"+ helps them maintain numbers compared to other species of shiner. Steelcolor are the next biggest with a large adult exceeding 6". A reason why LCS are also a good option is their larger max size as well. Even GSH without proper habitat and poor management will be extirpated from a pond over time though. Allowing a good generation of brooder fish can increase how long GSH or LCS are present. That first original generation stays too large for all but the biggest SMB to eat. Until they die of old age, they'll pull off a spawn each year...
Even though banded killifish only top out at 5", they're very effective at avoiding predation. I commonly see mine skipping across the surface to avoid be eaten. However, they get hammered in the cold water winter months. All I need are a few dozen adults to survive the winter to bring numbers back up though. They're very prolific spawners.
