The effect of two light conditions (light at 10–13-μmol quanta/m²/s and darkness) in three water flow rates (0, 200, and 600 mL/min) on the survival, grazing, and growth rates of 6-day-old Haliotis rufescens postlarvae (pl) was evaluated. A factorial experiment with three replicates per treatment in blocks was conducted for 44 days in 2-L plastic containers with ca. 100 postlarvae each, inoculated every week with the cultured diatom Navicula incerta. Survival was highest (80%) in the treatment without water flow and with light, whereas the lowest (52%) corresponded to the 600-mL/min flow rate under darkness, but these differences were not significant. Initial grazing rate was significantly higher in darkness than in light (37 cell/pl/hr, SE = 1.6, and 27 cell/pl/hr, SE = 2.8, respectively). Growth rate was not significantly affected by the light treatments. However, in static conditions growth was higher in darkness (38-μm/day, SE = 2.0) than in light (34-μm/day, SE = 1.0). Growth rates of postlarvae were significantly affected by flow conditions, with means of 36 (SE = 1.3), 33 (SE = 0.7) and 31 (SE = 0.7) μm/day in flows of 0, 200, and 600 mL/min, respectively). These results suggest that the benefits of dark conditions on the growth rate of abalone postlarvae shown in previous experiments might not occur under flow conditions. However, the flow rates tested here were apparently too high to allow an optimal postlarval growth and slower flows should be tested in future experiments. On the other hand, flow allowed the development of high diatom densities under the light condition, which were difficult to maintain in darkness.