No established common name

Where they come from

Zebrias maculosus is a right-eyed sole from the Indo-West Pacific. Think sandy flats next to reefs, seagrass beds, and quiet lagoons. They spend most of the day buried with just their eyes showing, then creep around at dusk looking for small crustaceans and fish.

Setting up their tank

Give them floor space before you give them height. A 75 gallon with a 48 x 18 inch footprint is my minimum for a single adult; bigger makes life easier. They are all about sand, quiet zones, and stable water.

• Substrate: 2-3 inches of sugar-fine aragonite. Coarse sand or crushed coral will chew up their underside.
• Aquascape: Build rock on the glass or on PVC supports, then add sand. Leave big open sand patches. A couple half-buried PVC elbows or low caves help them feel secure.
• Flow and light: Gentle to moderate flow that does not blast the sand. Normal reef lighting is fine, but provide shaded areas.
• Lid: Tight-fitting. Flatfish can and do launch themselves.
• Parameters: 1.023-1.026 SG, 75-79 F, pH 8.1-8.4, low nutrients. They do best in mature, stable systems.
• Filtration: Oversized skimmer and good mechanical filtration. Fine sand gets everywhere, so prefilter your pump intakes.

Acclimate slowly, lights off. I like to dim the room and introduce them right onto the sand so they can bury immediately.

What to feed them

They hunt by smell and movement. New arrivals often ignore pellets and flakes, so plan on a weaning process.

• Starter foods: Live blackworms, live grass/ghost shrimp, amphipods from a refugium. These kickstart the feeding response.
• Next step: Frozen mysis, finely chopped prawn, clam, squid strips, and small pieces of marine fish. Soak in vitamins if you can.
• How to offer: Feed at dusk with pumps off. Partially bury the food near the snout or wiggle it with tongs; they will pounce once they smell it.
• Schedule: Juveniles most days in small portions. Adults 3-4 times per week. Aim for a slightly rounded belly after a meal, not a bulge.

How they behave and who they get along with

By day, they nap under the sand. By night, they cruise low and slow. They are peaceful toward fish that are too large to swallow, but anything bite-sized that sleeps on the sand is at risk.

• Good tankmates: Midwater fish that ignore the sand-bed, like tangs, rabbitfish, larger clownfish, peaceful angels, and bigger anthias.
• Use caution: Large wrasses may pester or flip them. Goatfish will compete and annoy them. Hawkfish are fine with the sole but will go after your shrimp too.
• Avoid: Triggers and puffers, small gobies and blennies, firefish, tiny cardinals, pipefish, seahorses, and all ornamental shrimp or small crabs.

Breeding tips

Not a home-aquarium project. They spawn pelagic eggs and the larvae go through a flatfish metamorphosis with eye migration. There are no hobbyist reports of closing the lifecycle for this species. If you see courtship in a big system, consider yourself lucky and just enjoy the behavior.

Common problems to watch for

• Refusing food: Use live offerings first, then transition to frozen. Feed at dusk with pumps off and try partially burying the food.
• Abrasions on the underside: Usually from rough substrate. Switch to finer sand and keep it clean.
• Getting outcompeted: They are slow, methodical eaters. Spot-feed with tongs and consider feeding after the lights dim.
• Parasites and skin issues: Look for flashing, excess slime, or cloudy eyes. Handle in quarantine. Flatfish can be sensitive to certain meds, so dose carefully and use reliable test kits or consult a fish-savvy vet.
• Sand in pumps and intakes: Cover powerhead intakes with foam guards so the fish cannot get sucked in while buried nearby.
• Jumping: They can bolt if startled at night. Keep every gap covered.