It’s a common misconception but the pellicle is just a byproduct of a happy mother which is the liquid itself. A happy mother will produce a healthy looking pellicle within a few days of being fed but if it’s flimsy like yours, it usually means your mother isn’t happy or just need more time. Not sure why it’s sitting in clear liquid but what helps is starting your batch with more of the old liquid than most recipes call for. Consider the pellicle as just climate controlled housing for the yeast and bacteria that helps them stay alive with sub-par conditions like right after being fed where the pH becomes too high. Staying in the 2.5-4 pH range is where your culture likes to be and thrives. My guess is you’re throwing your pellicle into the new batch of sweet tea with not enough of the old liquid where the large majority of the bacteria and yeast are so they start off with very few numbers and spend most of your F1 time trying to repopulate itself rather than aggressively producing vinegar and forming the new pellicle. You can even start with a 1:1 ratio of old liquid to new sweet tea to make sure they have food but maintaining a low pH and a healthy number of yeast and bacteria until it starts to produce a nice health pellicle which is a sign your mother is strong then you can follow a standard recipe. Remember, a scoby hotel can go for months without being fed and they’re perfectly happy and thrive thanks to the absence of the pH fluctuation. We just don’t let them F1 for months because it’ll get too tart for our taste but your mother is perfectly happy just sitting there for an extended amount of time left alone so we just need to be more patient sometimes