[dogstar74]

Take out the MJ and clean it well. They always perform better after they are cleaned well.

Check the entire intake line for algea growth. Mine has a clear plastic tube, eventually, some algea will grow inside, and slow the laminar flow of the water.

Remora cannot be effectively Needle wheel or any of those types of modifications. With the injection foam production, it needs speed of injection to produce the bubbles. Froth from the PH would cause chaos.

You did right in running the pipe cleaner through the orafice.

Try adjusting the nylon screw, it may allow more flow and thus more injection.

Use a bright flashlight on the side of the remora to see exactly what the bubbles are doing. If too many are getting trapped before the first bend, then you may need to tip the remora slightly to level it out.

I have found the single biggest component to keeping the remora or Urchin skimming, is dilligent cleaning of the collection cup. It MUST be cleaned daily. I figure it will only skim about 18 hours then the fractionator tube gets fouled and nothing will climb it. Remember this is DAILY. I use a toothbrush and just quickly swab out the tube DAILY and it always gives me about 1/4 inch skimmate every day. But you cannot simply set it and forget it with the remoras. They have the potential to skim well. But they are sprinters, not distance runners. If you cannot commit to keeping the collection cup clean, then you need another brand.

Adding Filter material to the output will reduce the micro bubbles that come with initial startup, but I find that if you get through the break in period, that enough algea will grow on the return, that the filter is not necessary.

If you use the flashlight from the side, and really see what the bubbles are doing, they should be forming small to large bubbles. If they are simply reaching the surface and popping but not fusing into large bubbles, then you have low surface tension. Could be a sign of contaminants like soap in the water. Nearby cleaners such as windex etc that removed the surface tension of the water, soap on your hands one day while cleaning the tank. All of these should wash out over time but it may take a while, and might take water changes. Either way, if you're having an algea bloom, and the skimmer isn't working, you may need to start more aggressive water changes to compensate for the short term.

Low tension may also mean a disruption in the salinity. You may want to check it. High and low salinity produce bubbles of different sizes. You may have had a top off water problem.

I hope this gives you some things to think about.
Good luck with the problem.
Aaron