There is a men named Dominick who has a very extensive web site for kefir users. You will find a very accurate answer to your question. Most people don't know about kefir grains but know kefir starter. Dom also has a great group at yahoo groups. His web address is long so if you will type in Dom's kefir using a search engine you will find Dom's kefir site and his kefir cheese site. And to join his Yahoo group just go to www.yahoogroups.com and search for Dom's kefir group. Using water for kefir is tricky but you will get good help from Dom.