Heritabilities and genotype by environment interaction effect for growth and survival traits were estimated in the G₂ generation of the Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) under the zero water exchange system and large water exchange system. A total of 51 Pacific white shrimp full-sib families were established by artificial fertilization and directional mating technology. After communally rearing for 52 d in zero water exchange system, body weight, body length, and sex of the 3822 shrimps in two concrete tanks were recorded. The variance components for growth and survival traits were estimated using the linear (generalized linear) mixed model and REML method. The results showed that body weight and survival rate had a high coefficient of variation. The heritabilities estimated for body weight and body length were 0.49±0.08 and 0.43±0.07, respectively. Both of them were high heritability estimates (h²≥0.15). The heritability estimated for survival was 0.11±0.03, which was a low heritability estimate (h²<0.15). There was a high genetic correlation between body weight and body length (0.98±0.01). The genetic correlation between body weight and survival was 0.31±0.15. The genetic correlation between body length and survival was 0.34±0.15. For body weight and survival traits, the genetic correlations between zero and large water exchange systems were 0.62±0.11 and 0.65±0.11, respectively. This implied that there were great genotypes by environment interaction effect between the two systems (K>0.5). In conclusion, there was high genetic variation for body weight of this population in the zero water exchange system. However, a separate selection line should be established to improve growth and survival for shrimp reared in the zero water exchange system because high re-ranking of families occurred between zero and large water exchange systems.