Turtle genetics is more my area of research, but this paper should provide a great starting point for your questions.
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/280/1759/20130184.short
I just use a aqualifter pump with an adjustable airline valve on the end to keep my nano reef tanks in check. I adjust it to one drip per second and set it on a digital timer to drip for the same duration every day. It takes a few test runs to figure out how long to run it, but it works fairly well.
I said the same with my latest nano tank but the swings got to be too much to stay on top of lol. I can’t imagine that would be much of a problem for a hardy tidal pool species such H. rubra though. Best of luck on your build!