All fish / Soleidae

Tiger Sole

Soleichthys heterorhinos

Also known as zebra sole, banded sole, black-banded sole, tiger sole fish, red sea sole, ミナミシマウシノシタ, 异吻长鼻鳎

A slender, elongated sole with dark brown and cream bars across the body and long dorsal and anal fins edged in blue and yellow that join the rounded tail. It ripples across the sand like a flatworm, which makes it a striking oddity for reef and fish-only aquariums with open sand beds.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

14 cm

Temperature

23 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

300 litres

Keep as

Singly, or one per large tank

Diet

Carnivore: live and frozen worms, mysis, brine shrimp, chopped seafood

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 8 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-West Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa to Japan, Australia and the western Pacific islands

Breeding

It scatters pelagic eggs and has larval stages that drift in open water. It has not been bred reliably in home aquariums.

Good to know

This fish often refuses prepared foods and needs a mature tank with a deep sand bed and plenty of small live prey, so it is best left to experienced keepers. It may eat very small shrimps and is easily outcompeted by fast feeders.