Savannah if this pond is just to raise FHM minnows that spawn on the undersides of areas then I would grow invasive wild lily pads that spread rapidly and not delicate lily pads that hardly expand in a decade. If you want fat larger minnows put in some GSH. I have some now that looked to be 8 inches long and fat. I would want underwater plants for even more structure and oxygen, and for GSH to spawn all over the place. I have been through two winter kills and one summer drought and the minnow don't seem to be effected that I can tell while everything else was mostly killed off. I don't have a diffuser so you may have harsher winters in your state then IN. but this last winter was pretty bad. Any place I walk around my pond edge I see lots of fry to 1 1/2" and on out are the larger minnows and when I feed to see what I have the large ones come into sight.
