Brand-new, as-yet-unfiltered 10 gallon

Hello. Whee, my first "real" post.

So, about four days ago I set up my very first 10-gallon aquarium. I used about 5 lbs of flourite substrate and 5 lbs coarse gravel. I have two small Anubias plants, one attached to driftwood. The tank is lighted with a full-spectrum florescent. The tank is aerated, but not yet filtered, as I have not yet received the filter I ordered in the mail. There are no fish in it yet, obviously, but I'm planning on six neons and a betta.

I tested today and, unsurprisingly, there are no nitrites, nitrates or ammonia. pH and kH are great. I have a heater, and the temperature is about 78 F during the day and drops to around 74 by the time I turn the light back on in the morning.

But boy, does it look uuuuuh-gly!!! I'm assuming what I'm seeing - nasty-looking cloudy white/brownish water- is a bacterial bloom, along with possibly some algae. My question: Once I get the filter, my water should clear up, right? Right? What if it doesn't? Ahhhh!

My roommate, an accomplished aquarist without whom I wouldn't have had the guts to attempt keeping fish, assures me that I'm overreacting, and that this is all part of "new tank syndrome". Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Morgan

Ok, I get it, I screwed up. I just should have waited to get my plants until I had my filter. (My plants aren't dying, though, they look fine.) I didn't know it would take so long to come in the mail. If I have to, I'll change the water again, but I want to see what my filter does first. And yes, to answer the question about the bio colony from established tanks, that is what I plan to do.

As to bettas + neons, I've read lots of different opinions on that. I really want to have a betta- that's going to be the focus of my tank. Any suggestions on tankmates? Cardinal tetras perhaps?