How big do thai oranda (goldfish) get? also any good algae eaters to go with goldfish?

[Acara19]

There are many different types of oranda goldfish. You got your thai strain, giant orandas, ingot/yuan bao, and the ribbon/fan tailed varieties. I can't find any sources on how big (specifically) thai orandas get. All I can find is how big the giants get and the 'average' which varies from website to website, (all of them give different sizes, some saying 6-7 inches, other saying 8-9, others saying 10-12 inches) and none specify which strain of oranda they're talking about. I'm trying to find out how big thai orandas get so I can plan for how big of a tank I should get for one (plus a butterfly telescope goldfish)
I'm not 100% sure I'm getting this tank, but I just want some information so I can plan for it.
initial plan: 30-40 gallon tank with a sump, 1 panda butterfly telescope goldfish, 1 calico thai oranda.
I've also been trying to find good cleanup crew for the goldfish tank.
The things I want to go by for the cleanup crew:
1. doesn't add onto the goldfish's bioload by too much
2. cheap
3. doesn't get too big
4. the goldfish can't eat it
5. it can't harm the goldfish
6. it either lives a long time or can breed and replenish its own population
7. is a good algae eater

 

[Becca]

You need 3 gallons of water per inch of goldfish, minimally. Also, your "clean up" crew might eat algae, but they'll also add to the mess by pooping it back out. Goldfish already poop a lot.

Some type of Garra would likely be a good algae eater with goldfish, as many varieties are temperate. I've seen both of those types of goldfish easily reach 6-8" when well cared for. Granted, the growth doesn't happen overnight. If not well cared for, their growth will be stunted and lifespan shortened (they can live more than a decade).

The biggest thing to keep in mind with goldfish is temperature and ensuring they receive some fresh vegetable matter from time to time. They fare poorly if the ambient temperature gets and stays warm and, due to the deformities that make them so 'attractive', they are prone to intestinal blockages and bloat.

 

[Frank Cowherd]

Two thinks come to mind when reading your note, Shane. Goldfish can be used as the clean up crew for other species. They will eat any food left on the bottom of the tank or anywhere else in the tank and so are a good clean up crew for fish that will not eat off the bottom. Goldfish are great at cleaning up leftover food. But they are messy and finding fish that will clean up after goldfish seems to me to be impossible though I might suggest a lot of corydoras catfish or maybe a couple of medium sized whiskered catfish. I have kept spotted bullheads in my pond with goldfish including orandas without problems, but bullheads are bullies in an aquarium if it is not gigantic.

Second, often fish grow to the size of the tank they are in particularly if it is small or crowded. So you should get as large a tank as you can get or a tank which fills the available space since that will help the goldfish get to their max size. Actually I think the reason for the slower growth or stunting in a smaller sized tank is probably pollutant buildup. That being said, I think if you were to do twice weekly 50% plus water changes on your current set up, that would go a long way in allowing the goldfish to reach their maximum size. The other side of this pollutant thing is how much you feed. Even though they are goldfish and will eat probably every thing you feed them, make sure you are not overfeeding them. There should not be food left on the bottom or floating at the top after some reasonable amount of time, like say five or ten minutes.

 

[Acara19]

Thank you for your replies. As I said though, this tank is just a plan for the future, and I don't have the goldfish or anything for that tank for that matter. Not even the tank yet! As I said though, I planned to get a 30-40 gallon tank with a sump for filtration.
Probably a dumb question, but are there any types of plants I can put with goldfish? I know about broad leaved plants like anubias, but are there any other plants like mosses or anything I can put in a goldfish tank?
Thank you for your replies Becca... yes I know goldfish already poop a lot, and other fish would add onto that... I can easily just stick with the goldfish themselves, if that would be best for them.
Thanks again!

 

[Becca]

I've had a bulb plant that used to be called "onion plant" survive their nibbling. I haven't seen that plant in a store in years.

 

[Acara19]

by any chance can mosses do well with goldfish? they don't need to root into the ground and they're pretty strong....