Larvae of Litopenaeus schmitti are normally fed with Chaetoceros sp. (30–50 cells ml− 1) and Tetraselmis sp. (2–5 cells ml− 1). Artificial diets constitute an alternative to reduce high costs of microalgae. Efforts to develop adequate artificial diets for shrimp larvae are being carried out by scientists and the industry ( Gallardo et al., 2004).