Asked by maxgxlhi ·September 18, 2018 ·20.1k readers

FAA half full bucket no ohn or imo

So maybe I got a little ahead of myself when I was at the poke shop today I asked if the had any fish guts and sure enough they give me a 15 pound head! So I took it home and started catching up on the fermentation process and realized I don't have any Imo or ohn yet. My first question is I weighed even weight brown sugar and layered it but it only filled up half of my bucket. I topped with a tshirt for my lid. Is this ok or should I look for a different container that will be closer to the 2/3 full? My 2nd question is will this be good without the imo or ohn? 3. Should I just add these later when I have them? 4. Can I use some imo 2 instead of 4? Mahalo for the resources and help!!!

faa knf-fuel

Top answer

Drake Weinert Foundation · Sep 18, 2018

2/3 is the sweet spot in KNF for various reasons. One of the main reasons is 2/3 is a close approximation to the golden ratio which is the key to all life as we know it. The closer you get to this ratio, the more easily energy will emerge out of the infinite space which is essential for fermentation. For more information on this you can study Pythagoras and the concept of the square root of the unit square. If you can't hit 2/3, don't worry. Yes, the correct solution would be to find an appropriate container, but let's get real, if it ain't easy, we ain't gonna do it. And since you are already done with it, roll with it. Learn from this experience and maybe next time get closer to mastering KNF. KNF Medicine and KNF Microbes are not necessary for KNF Fuel. They are an optional side note in the text and actually modify the end product so that you will lose the fats and oils that float on the surface of KNF Fuel made without them.

From the KNF library

From the KNF library Drafted by Claude from Office Hours and the books · Sep 2026 · 6 sources

Drake recommends skipping IMO and OHN in FAA. Sugar and fish is all it needs. (Office Hours Ep. 17, 1:05:50)

The recipe is equal weights of sugar and fish, so your even-weight layering matches it. (Office Hours Mar 2025, 7:53) IMO microbes eat the oils in FAA and kill its use as a pest deterrent. (Office Hours Mar 2025, 7:53) Enough sugar alone keeps out bad bacteria. (Office Hours Ep. 15, 58:58)

The library disagrees on one point. Cho's recipe lists IMO #4 and OHN among its materials. (Cho, Recipe, p. 48) Drake's office hours say to leave them out. (Office Hours Ep. 17, 1:05:50) (Office Hours Mar 2025, 7:53) So don't add IMO2 in place of IMO4. Add none. (Office Hours Ep. 17, 1:05:50)

Cho covers the opening with mosquito net. (Cho, Recipe, p. 51) Mold on top is harmless, and the sugar cap dissolves once lactobacillus kicks in. (Office Hours Ep. 27, 14:37)

The library does not say whether adding IMO or OHN later is safe. It says nothing about a t-shirt lid.

Sources