piranha fish

Question
Hi
my piranha fish had their red bellys before i went to bed. now im up and its only been like 6 hours since i last seen them. their bellys are no longer red, they are pale white. their anal fin is still red, but i'm worried i hate to see all 6 of them die. what should i do?
thanks

Answer
Hi Kara,
  Have you had these fish long?   Many fish can gain and loose color as their mood changes, so the fact that they are paler doesn't necessarily mean that something terrible will happen (though it could).

  Are you doing regular weekly partial water changes?  You should be changing 25% of their water, once a week, every week to keep them happy and healthy. That is the most important thing you can do.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>