ABSTRACT The longarm river prawn Macrobrachium tenellum is extensively exposed to artisanal fisheries in its distribution range and have culture potential. However, its aggressiveness and territorial behavior limits its management in captivity. Because of this, it is neccesary to evaluate the effect of alpha males on regular males, as well as different kinds of shelters, to find how this affects growth and survival. For this, an experimental design was established in order to determine the effect of thos issues on growth of cultured juvenile prawns. Growth of prawns with no alpha males had no significant differences (P > 0.05). However, the interaction between shelter type and the hierarchical males revealed statistical differences (P < 0.05) in comparison with the rest in terms of survival. It is suggested that the effects on growth and survival caused by the social hierarchy of prawns and the use of shelters are part of a wider range of interactions that may be related ecologically, ethologically, and physiologically.