two starters one took off the other didn't

[payton34]

made two starters one wlp 041 took off right away the other was wlp 002. both were the same but the041 was on my stirplate the002 i swirled every time i walked by. does the stirplate make that much difference or is the 002 slower fermenting than the041. made both saturday evening it is now 48 hours and not much happening in the 002

 

[smagee]

The stir plate can make a difference, but I wouldn't expect it to be terribly significant. In this case, I'd guess that it's active, but less apparently so. WLP002 has some reports of starting slowly and gradually; it might very well be that you're just not seeing activity because it isn't as fast as 041. Do a quick search on "wlp002 slow starter" and you'll find several threads reporting that it moves slowly both in the starter itself and in initial fermentation.

I'd let it settle a bit (without swirling) and if, after 6-12 hours or so, you still don't see any signs of activity (however slight), it may be a dead batch.

 

[avidhomebrewer]

Also, are you sure that your airlock/stopper is secure and no CO2 is escaping without you noticing it? What is the date on the vial of 02?