Growth rate is one of the main biological criteria for selecting tropical marine fishes for intensive culture. Relationships of maximum observed length (MOL), length at first sexual maturity, growth performance index (Φ′), and juvenile absolute growth rate during nursery with growth rate during grow‐out periods were studied and their equations were calculated for 30 tropical or subtropical marine fish species. All equations were positive and their correlation coefficients were significant (P < 0.01). Three nomographs were made to obtain gross estimates of probable growth rates on intensive fish culture using the above relationships. Species with MOL of 100 cm or larger, length at first sexual maturity of 35 cm or more, Φ′ of 2.90 or more, and growth during the nursery period of or above 0.3 g/d, would be expected to have growth rates of at least 2 g/d during the grow‐out period. These criteria could help to identify species with best potential for intensive cultivation as a first step before a full evaluation and selection process is carried out.