Did I kill my first SCOBY..?

Hi All- been on this forum a while and while I've lurked and haven't posted much, I've always found this community to be a helpful resource to come to over the years for tips and suggestions as I've gone along messing up many batches of beer/cider.

Most recently, I've wanted to try some kombucha brewing. I just finished growing my first SCOBY this past weekend using black tea and a bottle of commercial kombucha for a starter. Creating the SCOBY was so exciting, and I was psyched to put it to use on my first batch of kombucha. I brewed up another batch of sweet black tea, cooled it in a large mason jar, and delicately introduced my new SCOBY into the mixture. I put a coffee filter on top and (here comes my problem) I screwed the top to the mason jar back on , and put it in a warm dark shelf to brew away!

I checked on the kombucha (or, more accurately, my sweet black tea with a suffocating SCOBY) today, two days later, and noticed my SCOBY floating at the bottom of the jar, and then I immediately realized I had screwed the lid on the jar (force of habit)! I unscrewed the lid, left the coffee filter on top of the jar to allow for ventilation, and put the jar back in it's place.

Now I'm wondering if I killed my SCOBY by leaving the lid on?!? Has anyone made this mistake before and/or have an experience with an asphyxiated SCOBY? Did I kill my first SCOBY?

Two days isn't very long, so it could very well be just fine. Just let it sit and see how it turns out. If a new SCOBY starts forming, then the brew is still active...

I don't believe that sealing off the vessel will kill the scoby. What it does is prevent oxygen from getting to the organisms and they won't produce acetic acid. Since acidification is a goal of kombucha brewing, allowing air into the vessel is important, but not vital. If anything, any oxygen depletion enabled the yeast to do more of the work instead of the bacteria.

Ah, yes, patience is a virtue! Having given the batch a few days, there are signs of life, including the growth of a new baby film atop the liquid. Looking forward to seeing how this first batch comes along. Thanks for the reassurance.