Many species that are farmed in fresh or brackish water, as well as sea water, show larval development stages where it is necessary to incorporate live food, as a trophic chain allowing metamorphosis from larva to juvenile. During these stages, different species demand specific live food. For example, food for bivalve mollusk larvae and for those of marine or hypersaline crustaceans are microparticle filters and unicellular organisms like microalgae. In the case of marine fish larvae and some of fresh water,they require live zooplankton food, which at the same time are fed by phytoplankton. Larval quality depends on the quantity and nutritional content of the live food provided during this critical development stage.

This is the reason why this strategic line of live food for aquaculture presents a very important challenge in generating research focused on phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass under a technology sustained on specific requirements of a secondary predator, be it an important mollusk, crustacean, and fish for aquaculture. On the other hand, according to culture conditions, the nutritional quality of an organism can be modified. For example, the amount and type of fatty acids can be modified in microalgae depending on the abiotic and biotic variables in which they are cultured. From here, value added products derive such as, omega 3, pigments, carotenoids, antioxidants, nutraceutics and other applications that have to deal with obtaining medicine directed to biomedicine, lipids to generate biofuels, toxicity tests, and environmental remediation, among others.