Light, including its spectrum, intensity, and photoperiod, is a crucial environmental factor in aquaculture as it regulates the endogenous rhythms of crustaceans and influences their growth, physiology, and metabolism. The aquatic environment in aquaculture directly impacts the propagation of light. When light reaches crustaceans, it is absorbed and scattered by the air and water, resulting in relatively weak light intensity. This paper provides a brief description of how light propagates in the aquatic environment and discusses the photoreceptor function of crustaceans. The aquatic environment absorbs and scatters light, which is then received by the compound eyes of crustaceans. This process subsequently influences the secretion of hormones in crustaceans. This paper highlights the effects of light spectrum, intensity, and cycle on the growth, development, behavior, feeding, survival, molting, egg laying, reproduction, and apoptosis-related gene expression levels of crustaceans. These findings provide theoretical references for aquaculture production. The study results indicate that blue light and green light have greater penetration in the aquatic environment, which benefits the growth, digestion, molting, and spawning of crustaceans. Crustaceans exhibit varying adaptability to light intensity, and the specific light intensity should be determined based on the culture method and species. For instance, Portunus trituberculatus shows the fastest growth under 800 Lx, whereas Penaeus chinensis grows most effectively under 300 Lx. During the spawning and reproduction stages, a low light environment facilitates crustacean ovary maturation and successful reproduction. Extending the light cycle appropriately (14L:10D or 18L:6D) promotes crustacean feeding, larval development, and ovary maturation. Clarifying the influence mechanism of light on the growth and physiology of crustaceans, as well as determining the optimal light parameters for each growth stage and critical period of development, holds significant practical implications for aquaculture production. Presently, China's aquaculture industry lacks accurate regulation of light parameters, indicating an immature application of light systems. Therefore, the future application of LED lighting in aquaculture represents an important step towards promoting the intelligent development of the fishery industry.