Light spectrum effects on giant freshwater prawns, Macrobrachium rosenbergii: Larval development, survival and preferences

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of different light spectra on growth, development indices, survival and color preferences in Macrobrachium rosenbergii larvae. First (trial 1, 25 days), prawns (100 larvae/L) were randomly allocated to 30 cylindrical plastic containers (1 L). This trial was designed with five treatments (light spectra) and six replications: red light, blue light, green light and white light or absence of light (controls) in the 12:12 light:dark (LD) cycle. Next (trial 2), 30 groups of five larvae in two different development stages (VII and XI) were allocated to a system of compartments with different lights: white, red, blue or green. This system was connected by tubes to enable light spectra choices. Final weight, weight gain, consumption and metamorphosis significantly improved under the white light condition versus the other tested groups (p