Thanks, Big Lou. I bought five fish as 4-5 inch juveniles from a local trout hatchery last february. The largest one built a nest and layed hundreds of eggs two months ago. The eggs didn't hatch (don't think my males are sexually mature yet). After spawning, she was harrassed by an eager male for a week. Unfortunately, she jumped out of the pond last week - probably misjudged her leap in the pre-dawn darkness. I measured her at just over eighteen inches before she became plant fertilizer (Yes j.w, I buried her - I don't eat pet fish)!
I also had a fingerling coho salmon from a local river in our pond for a bit but it was sucked into our pump intake before I installed a safety basket over the inlet housing (I lost a trout that way last year too). We have two 8" koi and five comets as well. The trout leave those guys alone but hassle each other incessantly. They have a strict pecking order, with the dominant fish occupying the best holding areas in the current. Yes, I said current because we have a 14000 gph centrifugal pump and it moves a lot of water in our 5000+ gallon system. The trout love the heavy flow and the high dissolved oxygen content. My wife does NOT love the high power bill! Two pics show the big female being chased before her demise. The middle one shows our pump.
