Literally twenty minutes after putting them into my tank I saw a flash of something in the plants.  I remember saying "Girls, you're not going to believe this but the fish had babies already."  After a quick internet search and a call to the fish store we were rushing to Wal Mart to buy another tank.  Three little girls dashing through the store screaming "Save the babies!!!" must have seemed peculiar to some.

I scooped mom and dad out (it seemed easier than catching those tiny fry hiding on the plant leaves) and watched and waited.  Shockingly, they have all survived and appear to be thriving.   I marvel daily at how fast they are growing and try to imagine what colors the males will be.  My male is black with a glorious baby blue tail with black trim, but I suspect he did not father this 'surprise' litter of fry, since both he and mom came from a tank with about thirty guppies in it.

I find myself roaming the house looking for places to put more and bigger tanks, since of course the babies will have to be sexed and separated fairly soon.  And then if I get another litter they will need a nursery, and on and on and on.  I hard boiled an egg and was mashing it with water when my husband caught me.  What was I doing?  Feeding the babies of course.  He finds me at odd hours Googling key words like 'guppy care', 'raising guppies', and 'fancy guppy types'.

I work at home and am constantly sneaking into the living room to admire my little family, side by side in one gallon tanks, just waiting for the weekend when I go to the store and get them some larger homes.  My piano bench has been retired and will be a cabinet for aquariums as money allows.