I still love the betta idea. They have so much personality!!! I think that might be what you want, and even the females can have a lot of color! You just gotta find the special ones.
I've got a friend who has some divided tanks now with bettas and everything is just fine.
Oh well, you could just do guppies, but be careful because they are sooooooooooo hard to breed!!
(ha. not.)
__________________
"By avoiding the very thing you despise the most, by trying to be "different" by striving to be so "unique", you've become the sole and center of all that you held so high on the pedestal of disgusting mortality deemed society."