Seed stunting of rohu, Labeo rohita (Ham.) carried out for 6 months in 24 large (50 m2) concrete tanks using 20 and 40 fry m−2 rearing densities under open and shade (50% light incidence) conditions. A significant influence of tank shading observed on all the water quality parameters, unlike the density effect only on the dissolved oxygen content in water. Highly significant stunting effects of both higher density and shading observed on juvenile growth and survival after 2‐, 4‐ and 6‐month stunting. Doubling the density caused 22.9 and 27.8% weight suppression after 6‐month stunting under open and shaded conditions respectively. Similarly, shading caused 31.7 and 36.1% suppressed body weight after 6 months in the low‐ and high‐density groups respectively. However, the best stunting effect observed through a compounded effect of high density and shading as 50.7–57.0% growth suppression recorded within 2–6 months stunting. The study revealed both higher rearing density (two times) and tank shading (50% light incidence) to be effective tools for rohu juvenile stunting, while a combination of these factors yielded greater stunting effect. Such protocol can be used for production of stunted carp juveniles to ensure their round‐the‐year availability for stocking grow‐out ponds.
