Fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) are perhaps the most common bait fish in the U.S.
They are also widely used in pond management for fish and pond stocking. Fathead minnows are usually stocked into new ponds at the same time as the bluegill.
The newly stocked bass fingerlings will usually consume fathead minnows first and prey on them until they disappear.
Fathead minnows seldom reach lengths greater than 3 inches, and therefore provide very little benefit when stocked as a forage fish into established ponds. Fathead minnows will spawn by depositing their eggs to the underside of rocks, logs, sticks, etc. They primarily consume plankton, insects and algae. Fathead minnows should be stocked at a rate of 1,000 - 2,000 per acre.