Ginger bug first fizz/gone flat syndrome.

[Magra]

Last Sunday I started my second ginger bug. I used the 2 tbsp ginger/2tbsp sugar/2cups water recipe. Used honey instead of sugar.
Fizzed on day 1 modestly (it is very hot here lately). Fed it as the recipe says, 2 tbsp ginger/2tbsp sugar (except using honey), no water. It went completely flat. (I thought perhaps too hot?? The honey?)
Day 3 Fed it less, 1tbsp ginger and 1 tsp sugar (changed to sugar) and this time I put in a 1/4 cup water. Changed it to a cooler place and covered it with a cloth so it would be in the dark.
Day 4 Some bubbles, ginger tends to stay floating, but no yeasty smell. Fed it but this time no water.
Day 5 Going really good. A good fizz, you can see ginger bits going up and down with the bubbles, lines of tiny bubbles ascending and ginger floating in a nice frothy surface. Fantastic yeasty smell, almost like ale.
So fed it again and I'm going to see if I can keep it alive and make my first soda without killing it.
I've been reading here that a lot of people have that problem, keeping it alive after starting to use it. Well I'll keep you all updated.

[Christopher Weeks]

Good luck! It's been a while since I made a soda, but my memory is that it takes several days to get going. I could also imagine honey or heat being a problem, but it sounds more like nothing was really wrong and that's just how it works.