New Fish: Mollies & What??

[CuznHottie]

I have a 10 gallon tank. I have kept Mollies in it before, but they all died from Cotton mouth and the fact that I didn't have a filter in the tank. I had never owned fish before, and didn't know about the filter. I now have a whisper filtration system in place, two plastic plants, a large rock, and air tubes including a bubble wall.
Do I need to do anything special to set my tank up for new fish? I have cleaned the tank out with the filter, added special tabs to regulate the amonia and pH balance. Is that all I have to do?
Also, I want to keep Mollies, for sure in the tank, but are 3 mollies, 2 platys, 2 guppies, and 1 butterfly fish bad for my 10 gallon tank? Emailing me is okay too! My email is CuznHottie@aol.com. Thanks for any and all help I can get!

[catfishmike]

well i would say you can do this one of two ways.one is to get rid of the mollies as they aren't the best fish for beginers.mollies can produce a lot of waste and need small constant feedings throughout the day.in a 10 gal. that equals pollution which is bad.two is just work with the platys and guppys untill your ready for a more difficult fish.not sure what a butterfly fish is so keep that out for now.one last thong don't worry about ammonia tabs and ph adjusters that will be more trouble than it's worth try reading about the nitrogen cycle and start there.good luck

[adamj]

if possible, some one direct him to the article on cycling the tank without fish. i dont have the link on hand at the moment.

however if your going to use the fish cycle method. dont use platties or guppies. i suggest 2 or 3 black fin tetras. or maybe a goldfish or two. Guppies will be toast.. Dont worry about ammonia adjusters or ph adjusters. just do regular water changes with plenty of dechlorinator. your tank should grow beneifitial bacteria in about a month, then take a sample of your water to your fish store to get it tested. when it says ammonia and nitrite are at zero, you can add other cooler fish that go well in a community tank

[CuznHottie]

I'm sorry, I said that I've never owned fish before and that's not true. I've owned fish, but none are currently living in any tanks. I owned a male betta (single 1 gal. tank) for over 3 years, two tetras (larger, white w/black stripes) for just over 4, and the four mollies that came to me sick. It was a new tank, and I hadn't set up the tank before, so I mistakenly thought that the air pump was a filter. Now I have done reasearch, and was wondering if I could keep mollies in a 10 gal. tank. Really, I wanted to know if I needed anything else for my tank other than air tubes, an air pump, a whisper filter, rocks on the bottom, two plastic plants, and a small rock. I will probably buy a few more smaller plants (the ones I currently have reach the top of the water), but is there anything else that livebearers need?