Hi Elissa, feeding once a week and storing your starter in the refrigerator will definitely allow it to survive, but it won't thrive under these conditions, especially if you return the starter to the refrigerator with very little time at room temperature. The starter needs at least a few hours at room temperature to begin bubbling and fermenting, or you may end up cultivating little more than a flour and water paste. The steps you have taken so far to improve your starter's rise are all good ones, but it may also be helpful to give your starter a few days of twice a day feedings at room temperature, and to be a little more calculated about the timing of these feedings. When a starter rises and then collapses significantly between feedings, this tends to cause the yeast to become sluggish. To improve yeast activity it's best to aim to replenish your starter when it's at its peak of rising, or just beginning to fall. Since your starter seems to peak after 6 hours, feeding at the peak might result in having to feed 3-4 times a day, which can get a little crazy. However, you can slow down fermentation so that the starter peaks closer to the 12 hour mark by reducing the ratio of starter, as compared to water and flour you feed it. For example, if you normally maintain your starter with a 1 part starter : 1 part water : 1 part flour ratio (by weight), consider trying a 1:2:2 or even 1:3:3 ratio. By offering your starter a relatively larger meal, you can slow down the rate of fermentation and find a feeding schedule that works better for you and your starter. Keep in mind that temperature also plays a big role in the rate of fermentation, so if your ambient temperature is very warm, finding a cooler spot (in the low 70's) and feeding with cool water will also help slow things down. I know it sounds a bit contradictory to want to slow down fermentation in order to get your starter to rise better, but it all has to do with timing the feedings in a way that keeps the yeast active. I hope this helps! Let us know how it goes! 

Barb

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