Choices, Choices!

So, after moving my computer on to the floor I now seem to have a very empty flat surface.
By some happy coincidence this has coincided with my birthday so I think it's time to treat myself to a 30(ish) litre tank so I can try a bit of proper scaping and then keep a Betta and/or some CPDs and/or shrimp.
I've narrowed it down to the a couple of choices, but would appreciate some more experienced people throwing in their opinions and picking apart my reasoning!

There's THIS complete setup from Dannerle that looks lovely and has some very nice extras (although I would probably need add more substrate).

Or a late discovery was the Fluval Edge 34L which is cheap enough HERE to be a definite contender.

The third option is to just pick up a tank and then add everything I need afterwards.  I estimate that if I don't go overbord then it would probably work out about £20 less than either of the above in the end.

So, the Dennerle setup:
PROS
1.  Great quality, professional, grown-up stuff.
2.  Just absolutely lovely.
CONS
1.  I'll be spending a fair bit of time sitting at the desk so the external LED migth be right in my line of vision while using the computer.
2.  The filter looks a bit.....limited.  It's just sponge and a pump.  You can get an add-on that provides room for some additional media, but with a 30L tank, space is at a premium.
3.  Nowhere to keep the filter and heater so layout would have to take that into account.

The Fluval Flex:
PROS
1.  Proper covered light so no chance of being dazzled while gaming (yes, I'm a geek!).
2.  Good filter out of the box (apart from the shrimp-eating intake) with scope for lots of improvement through adding proper media and extra mechanical filtration, probably leading to a more stable tank.
3.  Equipment all hidden away behind a panel
4.  Completely unnecessary gimmicky lights (with a remote).  I am a bloke after all!!
CONS
1.  Final cost probably higher than the Dennerle set.  Forget that, the new price I found roughly evens the cost.
2.  Not as nice as the other one.

Buying the bits separately:
PROS
1.  Bit cheaper
2.  I get to spend ages building and pricing dream setups and looking at tanks and stuff in shops and on-line.
3.  I potentially finish up with exactly what I want.
CONS
1.  I have to spend ages building and pricing dream setups and looking at tanks and stuff in shops and on-line.
2.  I potentially finish up with a mismatched load of stuff that doesn't do what I want it to.

What would you guys do?

I must admit I love the Fluval Flex as the kit is hidden away and it has a nice 'clean' look. This is probably the best way to achieve this look (v hard to replicate yourself). I have taken just as much pride in modifying my Interpet Insight as I would have done building anew.

Another one to consider though which caught my eye in the past is the Flex mini scape set from Maidenhead Aquatics which I suppose is a hybrid between do it yourself and the dennerle as you'd need to choose a filter and heater (or not depending on stocking). It's a bit smaller though at 15 litres. There are often in store offers on this FYI
https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/product/flexi-mini-scape-set

If thats too small, how about...
A cheap option https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/product/aqua-range-aqua-expert-27-aquarium
A bit different but I like it https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/product/superfish-home-25-aquarium

I fear I may not have helped.... 

The Hidom light on my betta's tank is fine for java fern, anubias, bolbitis and water sprite (as a floating plant). The light is the AL-2, this one and the tank is 26 litres, with a floor area of 38 x 25 cm.

For small tanks sponge filters are perfect particularly with small fish and shrimps. The problem with them can be noise. Because they are powered by an air pump you have the sound of the bubbles breaking the water surface and some air pumps can be a bit on the noisy side. My betta's tank is on a kitchen worktop and the air pump is suspended with a piece of string from a hook on the underside of the wall cupboard. Other ways to cut down the noise include placing the pump on a folded towel - the noise comes from the pump vibrating against a solid surface.
This is the sponge filter I have. The chap in the shop recommended one with a weighted base as the type that fix to the tank wall with suckers can come unstuck and float - and then water isn't pulled through the sponge.

I'll look out for that one if/when I need a new air pump. Google finds that it is in Maidenhead Aquatics  and The Range.
Interestingly, most of the links I found say it is for tanks up to 40 litres while the writing on the box in the photos says up to 25 litres.

Interestingly, most of the links I found say it is for tanks up to 40 litres while the writing on the box in the photos says up to 25 litres.

It's not a powerful pump but it's great for keeping a low to medium flow in my 30 l betta cube for that reason.  I also have one for each of my 50 l - 60 l aquariums to add air and always have media available for seeding new tanks.  Surprisingly quiet.  It's promised a lot in air pumps but this one genuinely is as Matt says.  You could probably get away with one in a 40 l but for anything bigger you'll need two air filters or one larger one.