Help help help !!! Who between Betta and Paradise fish? Comparing experiences

[Velvetgun]

I ask you for advice. I have been passionate about aquariums for a few months and I am trying to read and inform myself as much as possible. Unfortunately, due to a court case with the builders of my new house, I cannot install a large aquarium until the end of the case (I have an area with raised tiles and I don't want to give alibis)
However, I would like to start and I have a space in the kitchen on the countertop away from the stove. The length is not a problem (about 60 centimeters approximately 23 inches) while the height is a problem because I am only 47 centimeters maximum (18.50 inches)
So basically I can put a low height aquarium (30-35 centimeters or 12/13 inches) for a volume of 30 to 60 liters (8-15 gallons)
I love very colorful, interesting fish that are interactive with humans.
Clearly a well-planted aquarium with sand, wood, rocks and with respect for the chemical and environmental parameters for future fish.
Alternatives:
- guppy, platy or molly or swordtail. The problem is the playback, I don't know how interactive they really are. I could only put male fish but I don't know how ethically correct it is even if breeders do it.
- RAM or other apistograms - I don't know how suitable they are with a beginner, are they interactive, are they too delicate and difficult?

My other two main choices are the classic betta or the paradise fish (macropodus opercularis)
While I have a lot of information on the Betta I can find very little on the opercularis except second hand



I would like a discussion with those who have actually had them or have them or raise them to truly understand the possibilities/needs.

They seem more rustic than bettas in terms of lifespan, health, and water parameters.

Aesthetically, in some videos they seem very beautiful, in others (even from Italian sellers, they are not easy to find) they are extremely dull in color

Then there's the matter of companions in the aquarium.
With a betta (better Plakat even if aesthetically I prefer halfmoon?) I would go for a 10/12 gallon (38/48 liter) tank. Many say to use it alone, others only with shrimp like Amanda (ex Japonica), others with some fish.
With Paradise fish it's even worse. Many keep them in mini ponds with many other Paradise and other fish. In the aquarium they recommended 40/60 liters (10/15 gallons), some with 1 male and 2 females, others with many males and many females to divide the aggression, others a male and other fish (which ones?), others a couple and other fish.
In short, I'm very confused and wanted to know your experiences

The basic question is: better Betta or Paradise fish?
Reason for the choice?

 

[GaryE]

Paradise fish grow larger than we expect. I have bred hundreds over the years, and quite like them. But they are quick growers, and in a small tank, would have to be kept alone. I had a group in a 180 ltr, and they were good. males fought a bit, but no damage was done. They lived with livebearers, all overwintering from a school pond.
They are very hardy and robust - tolerating temperatures from 10 to 30.
I expect 90% of fishkeepers will say Betta splendens. I won't., unless you go the pla-kat route. Fancy bettas like warm water, but are often fragile due to mass market breeding. In a tank the size you are considering, they would be a better choice.

 

[Velvetgun]

But they are quick growers, and in a small tank, would have to be kept alone.

What do you think then of a male paradise fish with some poecilidae? it should prey on the fry in a natural way, thus preventing too many from surviving.
How do you prefer opercularis compared to bettas?
I am attracted by the robustness, the longer lifespan, the simpler parameters of the water. I was also hoping to be able to keep a pair but many tell me that the male opercularis could (like bettas) kill the female after laying eggs.
certainly bettas are more showy in terms of color even in the Plakat variety, I don't know about personality if bred alone.
In Italy Paradise fish are not very common and the ones I have seen compared to videos from other countries are duller in color

 

[GaryE]

They grow to 8cm, easily, and are high bodied as well. I like to use the following rule when possible - the aquarium should be 8 to 10 times the full adult size of the fish to be kept in it. I can't see your project being big enough.
Colour varies, by photo, stress level, aquarium decor or status. A dominant male will be the most colourful. The fish breeds like a guppy, a bubble nesting guppy! The number of fry is large, and the supply is constant. At one point I had about 300 sub adults in close to adult colour, and most were very strongly marked. It's a pretty fish.
A lone male would eat guppy fry. It might also eat guppy tails, if they were large tailed fancy forms. They can be aggressive, but individuals vary, much like bettas.
The first reference to them as aquarium fish I have found dates to 1666. They have been kept for a long time.