Shrimp nauplii were fed with a mixture of the microalgae Chaetoceros and Tetraselmis, which were added daily at a rate of 2 × 106 cells ml− 1. At mysis stage, shrimp larvae were fed with Artemia franciscana nauplii (Aquacultural Feed Co., Zhejiang, China) at a rate of 5–6 nauplii for each shrimp larva, and 4 times per day until mysis stage 3 (M3) and at a rate of 10–12 nauplii for each shrimp larva and 5–6 times per day from M3 through 7–8 days after metamorphosis (PL7–8). Furthermore, the mortality rate of each tank was recorded daily.