Help! Is my kefir starter dead or just lazy???

I just prepped some coconut water kefir and cheese about 12 hours ago. I am concerned that my starter might be dead or is it just lazy? The recipe said it was o.k. to use regular dairy kefir starter. This starter came in a powder form if that makes any difference.

I put 5g of starter into a mason jar with 1.5 quarts of coconut water from young coconuts, just like the recipe said. The concoction fizzed for a few minutes and then turned cloudy which I suppose is good, but currently it is not producing any gases in the jar and the liquid has seperated. I have the jar in a warm dark place with a piece of saran wrap on the top as a cover.

With my cheese I added 1/2 a package of starter (about 1g) to 1/4 cup of coconut water and added it to the pureed coconut flesh, covered it and placed it next to my coconut kefir. The recipe said that it would ferment allot faster than the water kefir and that the cheese would grow in size. I have not seen any action yet

Do I need to be a little more patient and wait for my starter to adjust to it's new environment or should I prepare to go out and buy some new/different starter and start over again? I live in S.F. where do I get the correct starter or some seeds?

A future thanks for your suggestions.

~Kefnewbie~
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