I have NO IDEA about hydro - Latewoods the guy to ask on that - but I DO know that its a helluva lot harder that growing with soil. With soil, you dont have to worry about EC's, PPM and the pH of the water each day. However, with a continual drip system and a load of timers and gadgets to regulate everything... you dont even need to check on the crop to make sure its OK. All the gadgets do that for you!
With a decent hydro setup, you can just bugger off on holiday for 2 months, come back and youll have mounds of freshly manicured bud waiting for you. Did you know you can even buy machines that harvest crops for you? Theyre dirt cheap; only want a slice of bread and a glass of water each day. Called Afghans. Look them up sometime