Wicker-work sole
Zebrias craticulus
Also known as: Wicker Work Sole, Zebra sole
This is a small striped sole from northern Australia that basically lives life glued to the sand, doing that classic flatfish thing where it vanishes the second it settles in. Those tight cross-bands that run right onto the fins are the whole vibe - it really does look like wicker-work up close. Not an aquarium fish for most people, but it is a super cool species if you are into oddball bottom-dwellers.
The Wicker-work sole exhibits a flattened, oval body with a mottled brown and beige pattern, enhancing its camouflage against the ocean floor.
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Quick Facts
Size
15 cm TL
Temperament
Peaceful
Difficulty
Expert
Min Tank Size
55 gallons
Lifespan
5-10 years
Origin
Australia (tropical northern coast)
Diet
Carnivore - small benthic invertebrates (worms, small crustaceans); in captivity: meaty frozen foods
Water Parameters
22-28°C
8-8.4
8-12 dGH
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Calculate heater sizeCare Notes
- Give it a big, mature sand bed (fine aragonite, a couple inches deep) and keep the rockwork stable - this fish will wedge under edges and you do not want a rockslide.
- They hate dirty water: keep ammonia/nitrite at 0, nitrate as low as you can manage (single digits), and run strong biological filtration because meaty foods add up fast.
- Feed after lights-out or at least at dusk - mine ignored food in full daylight. Target feed with a tube or long tweezers so the wrasses and tangs do not steal everything.
- Start with live or very fresh foods if it is new: enriched live blackworms (marine acclimated), live/frozen mysis, chopped clam, and small pieces of shrimp; once it is eating, rotate in quality frozen and soaked pellets only if it will take them off the sand.
- Skip fast, pushy feeders and anything that perches and nips the bottom (many wrasses, dottybacks, triggers). Best tankmates are calm fish that stay in the water column and do not compete hard at feeding time.
- Cover every opening - they can launch when spooked, and they find tiny gaps around plumbing. Also keep flow lower along the sand so it is not constantly getting blasted and forced to bury all day.
- Watch for rapid weight loss and a pinched belly; they can look 'fine' while slowly starving because they only eat when no one is watching. If it is not putting on weight, isolate it in a feeding box or a quiet QT and get it taking food reliably.
- Breeding in home tanks is basically a lottery - they are not easy to sex, and if you ever see a pair doing dusk spawning rises, expect pelagic eggs that will get nuked by filtration and eaten in minutes without a dedicated larval setup.
Compatibility
Good Tankmates
- Small, peaceful sand-sifters like watchman gobies (Yellow Watchman, Pink Spotted) - they keep to themselves and don't hassle the sole. Just give both some open sand so nobody is sitting on top of the other.
- Chill small gobies and blennies that perch or hover (Tailspot blenny, Midas blenny, clown gobies) - they mostly stay off the sand bed and won't outcompete it too hard at feeding time.
- Calm reef-safe wrasses that are not bruisers (Melanurus or Yellow 'coris' type, smaller Halichoeres) - active but usually not bullies, and they won't treat the sole like a snack if the size gap is reasonable.
- Small, non-aggressive clownfish (Ocellaris or Percula pairs) - they stick to their corner/anemone and generally ignore a shy bottom fish.
- Peaceful dartfish/firefish (Firefish, Purple firefish) - mellow tank vibe, they hang in the water column and won't bother a buried, nocturnal-ish feeder.
- Cleaner and utility critters like cleaner shrimp, nassarius snails, and small hermits - the sole doesn't care about them, and they won't pick on it if the sole is healthy and not getting bullied.
Avoid
- Triggers, large puffers, and big hawkfish - anything that sees a flatfish as a chew toy, or just likes to bite and investigate with its mouth. Wicker-work soles are easy targets when they are half-buried.
- Big angels and aggressive tangs - not because they are 'predators', but because they can be pushy at feeding time and keep the sole from getting enough food on the sand.
- Lionfish, groupers, and big wrasses (like a lunare or other thuggy wrasses) - if it can fit the sole in its mouth, it will eventually try. Even 'peaceful' predators will do predator stuff.
- Nippy crabby stuff like large crabs and some big dottybacks - they can harass a resting fish, and a sole that gets stressed or scratched up goes downhill fast.
Where they come from
Wicker-work soles (Zebrias craticulus) come from shallow coastal areas in the Indo-Pacific, where the bottom is sand, rubble, and mixed grit. They are the definition of a bottom fish - they live on the substrate, blend in, and wait for small prey to wander too close.
The cool part is how specialized they are: they are built to disappear on the sand. The not-so-cool part is that aquarium life has to match that lifestyle pretty closely, or they just waste away.
Setting up their tank
Think of this fish as a sandbed animal that happens to live in a glass box. I would not keep one in a brand-new tank. You want a mature system with stable salinity and a steady supply of micro-life, because it can take time to get them eating reliably.
- Tank size: 40-55 gallons minimum for one, more if you want a calm community and plenty of feeding zones
- Substrate: fine sand, ideally 1-2 inches; avoid sharp crushed coral (they scrape and bury and can get abrasions)
- Flow: moderate overall, but give them a couple low-flow sand patches where food can settle
- Rockwork: stable and secure; leave open sand in front and along the sides so they have hunting lanes
- Lighting: not picky, but they act bolder under softer light or shaded areas
Skip coarse substrate. Most of the sores and fin-edge issues I have seen on soles and flounders started with rough sand or rubble that constantly rubbed them while they buried.
A tight lid helps. They do not launch like wrasses, but startled flatfish can pop up and wedge themselves in weird places. Also plan your maintenance: you will be target feeding and you do not want food rotting under rocks, so build the scape so you can siphon the sand easily.
What to feed them
Feeding is the whole game with this species. Most losses are basically starvation, just slow and quiet. They are not built to chase pellets in the water column. You need to bring the food to the sand, ideally right in front of them, and you need to do it consistently.
- Best starters: live blackworms (if you can do it safely), live ghost shrimp, live pods, live mysids
- Great frozen foods: mysis, chopped clam, chopped shrimp, finely chopped squid, enriched brine (as a mixer, not the main diet)
- Once settled (sometimes): sinking meaty pellets or gel foods pressed into the sand - but do not count on pellets as your plan A
Use long feeding tongs or a turkey baster. I would gently puff a little cloud of mysis right onto the sand a few inches up-current of the fish. Let it tumble to them instead of blasting their face.
I feed small amounts more often rather than one big dump. Two to three small target feeds per day early on is not crazy. Watch the belly line from above: a well-fed sole looks gently rounded behind the head. A pinched look that never improves is a red flag.
Do not assume it is eating just because food disappears. Cleaner crews and fast fish can steal everything. You want to actually see the sole strike and swallow for the first couple weeks.
How they behave and who they get along with
They are shy, sneaky ambush predators. Most of the day they sit partially buried with just the eyes up, then they do quick little lunges at anything edible on the sand. They are not aggressive in the usual sense, but they will eat small fish and tiny shrimp if the opportunity is there.
- Good tankmates: calm gobies that stay out of their way, small peaceful wrasses (not hyper food hogs), blennies that do not perch on them, peaceful angels and tangs in larger tanks
- Risky tankmates: dottybacks, hawkfish, aggressive wrasses, big damsels, triggers, puffers, anything that nips or constantly investigates the bottom
- Cleanup crew: snails are usually fine; very small ornamental shrimp may become snacks, especially at night
They can handle reefs in the sense that they do not bother corals, but a busy reef full of fast eaters often means the sole never gets its share. A quieter mixed tank with open sand is usually easier.
If you keep more than one flatfish, give them space and multiple feeding spots. Flatfish can get cranky about territory, and the bullied one will be the first to stop eating.
Breeding tips
Breeding this species in home aquariums is basically a long-shot. Most marine soles have pelagic larvae that need specialized live foods (rotifers, copepod nauplii, later Artemia) and very controlled rearing systems. I have never seen a reliable home method for Zebrias craticulus specifically.
If you ever do see courtship or spawning behavior, your best bet is to document it and focus on adult conditioning (heavy feeding, stable temps, long-term calm). Raising larvae is a separate hobby all by itself.
Common problems to watch for
- Starvation and slow wasting: the big one; happens when tankmates outcompete them or food is not presented on the substrate
- Mouth and snout abrasions: usually from coarse sand, rubble, or repeatedly striking hard surfaces while hunting
- Bacterial sores on the underside: often starts as a small red spot from irritation, then gets infected if water quality slips
- Parasites (especially if wild-caught): flukes and protozoans show up as flashing, heavy breathing, cloudy eyes, or refusal to eat
- Getting pinned behind rockwork or in pump intakes: they wedge into odd spots and can get scraped or stressed
If it stops eating for more than a couple days, treat it like an emergency. These fish do not have the same buffer as chunky predators. Fix the feeding situation first, then look for underlying stress (bullying, flow blasting the sand, parasites).
Quarantine is worth the effort with this one, but it has to be flatfish-friendly: fine sand in a container or tray (so you can still siphon), lots of cover, and a plan for target feeding. A bare-bottom QT with a stressed sole rubbing on glass is asking for skin issues.
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