Years ago my grandmother and my mother used to make a sour dough bread I can't get anymore. Came across a recipe and instructions in my recipe book for the bread make and decided to give it a try. Made some starter and followed the instructions. Said to mix the ingredients and stir 3 times a day for 4 - 5 days then put in the fridge until needed. After a couple of hours the dough had more than doubled in size and was overflowing the bowl. Transferred to a larger bowl and faithfully stirred for a couple of days. After a couple of days it seemed to be separating and there was water in the bowl. Now it doesn't seem to be bubbling anymore and it's half water. What, if anything, went wrong. Is this normal?
I have the same items happen when i make fresh sourdough starter, Also did you add in a little more flour and water every day at the first mixing?... once the starter is ready it will have a sour smell from it,,, this is a good smell as it is telling you that it is ready to be used.. hence the name... sour dough...
it generally takes me a week to 10 days before my starter is ready to be used.
I haven't added anything to it since I started it. My instructions never said that. Only time I'm supposed to add anything is if I use some. Then feed the starter with 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of flour. Right now it look like it's 1/2 water.
Read though the following articles and see if it is similar to what you've been doing.
Managing Your Sourdough Starter (http://breadtopia.com/sourdough-starter-management/)
Maintaining your sourdough starter: food, water, and time (http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2012/04/08/maintaining-your-sourdough-starter-food-water-and-time/)
RAF, the ratio of water to flour should be the same by weight. It equates to 1/2 cup of water to a scant 1 cup of flour. For more info on sourdough, and a whole lot of other types of breads for that matter, go to www.kingarthurflour.com . They have a whole section on sourdough, including making the starter, feeding and storing it and recipes for using both fed and unfed starter. This is a great resource for anyone that's ever been interested in sourdough.
Also you may want to get King Arthur's sour dough starter. Their starter makes some of the best sour dough I've ever tasted.
I added another 1/2 cup of flour the other day and mixed it in. No longer looks watery. Now in the fridge until I decide to use it.