Lionfish only eats minnows

[junbug1970]

Hey guys,
I picked up this volitan lionfish about 2 weeks ago. He will not eat anything but live feeder fish (rosie minnows or guppies).
I've tried silverside, frozen tiger shrimp, krill, squids, dried bite size shrimps, formula 1 and etc. He just looks at it and come near it, but he won't eat it. I've even soaked them in little garlic, but still no go.
I have no idea what he was fed before at the LFS. I've heard they can get spoiled with minnows or guppies and i know is not good for them, but i have to feed him something and right now i have no choice but to feed him minnows.
When i put minnows in there, not even 5 seconds is already gone.
What do i do?
Please HELP!!!!
i've starved him for 2 days and still won't eat unless is live food.
do i need to starve him longer?
I got my puffer now eating dried krill and he loves it, my big yellow tang eats like a pig with brine or formula one and sometime will steal the squid from the feeder stick when i feed my snowflake eel.
Right now i am just feeding the lion just 1 minnow a day so just for him to eat something and not starve, but he go after my tang and puffer and shoved them out of his way and pushes them across the tank.
thanks
Junbug

 

[irenicus]

Your gonna have to starve hime more. You may have to jiggle food w/ a feeding stick to simulate life.

 

[junbug1970]

i've flicked the food around, even if its carried by the current. he will go after it, but once it stops moving he wont eat it.
i've tried different sticks, he just turn his head. I've dropped it in front of his face, but ignored it

 

[armageddon]

Keep at it and keep trying different techniques. You need to get him converted.

 

[irenicus]

I'd starve him longer. If there is food, he eat it, it may just take awhile.

 

[saltysyd]

I have a voilitan lion I've had about 3 months and when I first got him the LFS had been feeding him live feeders. I of course, refused to continue this and at first jus gave him brine shrimp. The first 2 or 3 days he did not eat but once he got hungry enough he started eating the brine. I continued this for about a week then introduced some krill for about a week, then some beefheart. Now he eats everything even flake food. His favorite is the beefheart though, he goes crazy for it. They sell it minced and frozen, it looks just like brine when it's frozen, my LFS carries it. Your fish won't miss what he doesn't get. Good Luck.