Hi Soomi, the decline in rise and activity level that you noticed around day 4 is not uncommon, and is most likely entirely unrelated to how tightly you closed the lid. The earlier activity you noticed may have been primarily due to a type of bacteria that gives off carbon dioxide, and the lull you're experiencing can be due to a related delay in wild yeast activity. In order to encourage the wild yeast to kick in it's helpful to adjust your feeding routine a bit to increase the acidity of your starter. I would recommend returning to feeding your starter with whole wheat flour, feed only once daily, and increase the proportion of starter to flour and water to a ratio of 2:1:1. For example, try feeding your starter by keeping 4 ounces (1/2 cup) of starter and feeding it 2 ounces (1/2 cup) whole wheat flour and 2 ounces (1/4 cup) water for a few days. Once you see the starter rising and falling predictably you can return to feeding twice daily with the unbleached all-purpose flour at the 1:1:1 ratio of 4 ounces each of starter, flour and water. Once your starter is rising and falling predictably with the white flour feedings, then you should be good to start baking! Barb

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