why are our fish changing color????

Question
Hi we have a 55 gallon tank, that has a pleco, emerald cory cat fish, & a rainbow shark that seem to always change color on us. When the tank lights are off, they seeme to get really pale, but when we put them back on they get there color back within 5-10 minutes. Is this normal???
We check our water weekly and everything is fine. Please let us know if this is something to be concerned about?

Also we have 2 Pictus cat fish , one has a belly which he/she didnt have before, we were wondering if they are livebearers, or do they have eggs? We think that (she) is expecting...

Please let us know a.s.a.p.

Thank You For Your Time,
Dave


Answer
Hi Dave,
Its quite normal for fish to change color when the lights are out. Many fish species do this. I'm not entirely sure, perhaps its their response to resting in the darkness. But its nothing to be worried about.

As for the pictus catfish, many catfish have "big bellies" just simply due to being well-fed. If it was a "she" and she had eggs she may lay them just randomly (not in an actual spawning act) or reabsorb them back. There are no instances of Pictus Catfish breeding in the aquarium but females do tend to be plumper and larger than the males.

I hope this helps!
Karen~