Greetings,
I made my first yeast starter. I used pilsner dry malt and boiled for 15-20 min. when the wort was 75F ,I pitched wyeast liquid belgium wit yeast and had it on a stir plate for a little more than 48 hours. I did not see a good amount of krausen. is this a problem?
Thanks
The stir plate can keep very much krausen from forming. Did you see any activity? Generally, I just see a change in the way it looks. It takes on a lighter more creamy color as the yeast grows.
Did you use any fermcap when boiling the starter?
FYI - 5 minutes is plenty of boil time for a starter. Some just heat to sanitize and chill.
Did not use any fermcaps. I did, however, while on the stir plate, see a lot of small bubbles emerging from the wort. Im guessing this is the yeast respirating. The starter does smell like beer 
I appreciate all the help!!
That all sounds very normal, I think you are good to go.
Sounds normal
How thick is the layer of yeast that settles out after you turn off the stirplate? I have wound up with a 1/2 inch thick layer on the bottom of my 1 gallon jug after a 24 hour spin cycle. All yeast; I don’t dump any trub into the jug.
And yes, the stirring will keep a krausen from forming.
More likely CO2 from fermentation.
Possibly air being whipped into solution also, from my experience.
Regardless, yeast is pretty damn resilient, and given enough time it will get back into shape. Sounds like you’re starter is a success.