new to hydro need help

so i am just about to harvest my crop 8 plants in soil, and wanted to move to hydroponics.

im gonna use a 8x4 grow tent

for lights im having a hard time i want to go with a
6in air cooled hood
or the adjust-a-wings
or a 6in light pipe

depending on witch ballast i should use
either a
sun system 6 switchable ballast
or a
sun system 7 super spectrum ballast
this one i can run a 400w mh and a 600 hps

for grow tray i dont know if i wanna do
1 4x8 tray or 2 4x4 trays

im hoping to fit about 40 plants in the tent and let them veg for about a month using a ebb and flow system

i want the simplest system i can build since this will be my first hydro system and im bound to fuck up somehow
once i get this under my belt i am planning on doing 4 sog trays

i have no idea what pump i need or how big my reservoir should be

i would like to air cool my hoods with a 6in vortex

so if anyone can help me
if there is a step by step guide to stepping up a ebb and flow that would help and also so input on what lights and hoods would be the best and any other input is very welcome

Most forgiving system is an ebb and flow/multi flow. Use good nuites that buffer the ph of the tap/res water. Know your ph/ppm of your tap. check it often. Then fill the res, add the nuites, adjust ph/ppm accordingly. Make sure the vetilation is right on. Fresh air in/dirty air out.. Don't get your lights too close @ the start. Move them closer over time. I have seen a cola 6weeks into flower touching the lens of a 1kw for weeks with no ill effect. The more time you spend with them/system the better you can spot a problem before it turns into a disaster. Another word is flush the salt out of the system. Remeber, ya get what ya pay for. When you buy equipment.