Which has more personality: betas or cichlids?

[Maxkolbe]

Have heard a lot of stories about these fish and how they both have tons of personality. I'd like to hear your stories about your fish and which you think has more personality/which is better.

Personally I'd say my beta, but just by a little bit.

What do you think? Betas or cichlids?

 

[George9]

I'd say cichlids. Although, I've seen some fun bettas lol

 

[DanS180]

Have heard a lot of stories about these fish and how they both have tons of personality. I'd like to hear your stories about your fish and which you think has more personality/which is better.

Personally I'd say my beta, but just by a little bit.

What do you think? Betas or cichlids?

As an owner of cichlids and never a beta I can't really chime in, but my cichlids do have quite the personalities lol i wish they could talk sometimes haha

 

[bigbanker]

I've kept both. I had a beta I loved but it died while I was on vacation and I've never had one like it since. My cichlids were fun but they lived to eat....

 

[maxwellag]

I have both a betta and cichlids. Both seem to have personalities. I cannot say one more than the other. Bettas seem to have more varying personalities depending on the individual, but cichlids seem to have a more common personality per species. Bettas (well the common pet store ones) usually have very different personalities.

 

[jetajockey]

There's over 1500 different kinds of cichlids, this is a very vague question to answer.

 

[Gboy66]

There's over 1500 different kinds of cichlids, this is a very vague question to answer.

+1. my angel had a crazy personality, my ram did not. My betta is more fun than the ram, but not as awesome as my angel was. Vague

 

[DragonFish71]

Let's see:

I've had a female betta who was a serial killer

I've got jack dempseys that eat out of my hand

I've got 2 breeding pairs of firemouths that flare out their gills at me when I approach the tank

I've got mixed mbuna who nibble my fingers and play with them

I've got GBRs who think my fingers are a maze to swim through

I've got bolivian rams that greet me every time I come near the tank by swimming in tight circles

I've got angels who also play with my fingers

And I know this isn't a cichlid or betta, but I have two types of syno catfish who love their bellies rubbed when I'm cleaning the tank and will come up to the glass, belly first so I can "rub" them through the glass before they eat pellets out of my fingers.

So picking which has more personality is hard.

 

[HUKIT]

There's over 1500 different kinds of cichlids, this is a very vague question to answer.

There are over 2400 as of last year, with more being found every year.

But to the OP's question comparing a small fish to some of the larger new world cichlids that can identify different colors, differentiate individual people, and show emotion it's not a very tough choice. There is a reason fish like oscars are called "wet pets".

 

[jrskater1999]

Cichlids most definitely. Bettas just sit there. If you put ghost shrimp into a cichlid tank it's like watching Animal Planet

 

[maxwellag]

Cichlids most definitely. Bettas just sit there. If you put ghost shrimp into a cichlid tank it's like watching Animal Planet

Not all bettas just sit there. It depends on the individual betta. Bettas eat ghost shrimp too! Lol.

 

[jrskater1999]

Not all bettas just sit there. It depends on the individual betta. Bettas eat ghost shrimp too! Lol.

Ya I guess. But my 5 Africans vs. 3 ghost shrimp is amazing