Greetings! I'm a sourdough newbie with some questions. I began a rye starter (named Max) several days ago and things seem to be going relatively well. It is pretty bubbly, which I keep reading is a good thing!

My question is about feeding and rising. I'm feeding by volume not by weight. I use 1/2 cup starter, 1/2 c flour and slightly less than 1/2 cup water. I've read that it should take at least 8 hours for the starter to double in size, but Max takes off and doubles in about 3.

Should I reduce the amount of water to make the doubling take longer? Does it really matter how long it takes to double? When I'm ready to bake bread, do I let the bread rise as long as it takes Max to double?

Thanks for any and all help!