Hiya , ill see if i can help at all. I think that all depends on who you talk to and who grew the buds. Again this depends on who you talk to and what is available in your area. There is a thred about which soil mix is the best, you should have a look at that as i grow hydro. I dont think there is alot to know when starting hydro you just need the $$ to get a good PPM meter and PH tester. I use RW cubes and clay balls as my medium i grow in a DWC bubbler, which is just a 40ltr tub with 4 airstones in it and i fit 6 plants in my setup.All i do to water is top the tub up when it starts getting low. You can do either but the less TP the better in my opinion as it can stress the plant and if you leave it too long the plant can get rootbound. It all depends on how you are going to grow them and the strain. My first indoor grow my plants took up all of my grow space, they grew way taller than i had anticipated or was ready for. But threw my next grows i have been trying earlyer flowering and different pruning to find the desired result.