is the summer dominant species of planktonic copepod in Zhoushan waters. We evaluated the effects of two kinds of unicellular algae food- -on the nutritional value of using biochemical methods. The aim of this paper was to provide theoretical information to evaluate the nutritional value and large-scale cultivation of . The results indicated that the crude protein content (wet weight) of Chlorella sp. (5.21±0.98)% was significantly higher than that of the control group (2.44±0.63)% (<0.05). The lower crude protein content of the control group may have been due to the poorer growth conditions, less food availability, and higher energy consumption under natural conditions. After feeding on , the crude fat content (0.25±0.03)% (wet weight) increased significantly ( sp. (0.15±0.03)%, most likely as the fatty acid content of sp.. The content of crude protein and crude fat in sp.; therefore, it was possible that consumed protein to supplement the energy required for growth due to the inadequate fat content in this food. The changes in content (wet weight) of total sugar and ash were not significant. Nine essential amino acids (EAA) and 8 non-essential amino acids (NEAA) of were detected in this study. The content (dry weight) of EAA in was (47.56±0.04)% to (49.84±0.07)%, EAA:NEAA was approximately 5:5, higher than that of , which may be beneficial for the growth of this fish. Twenty-one kinds of fatty acids in were determined. The content (dry weight) of DHA and EPA in the control group (9.77%) was lower than the group that fed on sp. (21.51%), but higher than the group that fed on (8.40%). Therefore, the proportion of DHA and EPA in , and could better meet the needs of juvenile fish growth. Overall, the results indicated that the nutritional value of was higher under artificial cultivation conditions and had potential value for the live food economy.