newbie to goldfish - questions

Hi. I'm Linda. I've recently become enamored of fancy goldfish. I
have an empty 30 gallon (US) tank that I hope to put to use soon.
I've been searching all over the net for info on goldfish. I'm not
new to fishkeeping. I've had a freshwater tank for 18 months or
more, so I get the stuff about cycling, water changes, feeding, etc.
My goal with my fish is for them to thrive, not simply survive.
So I'm trying to do my homework first before I ever step foot in a
fish store.

1. I will cycle the tank (fishless) before I introduce anyone. I
know I need to be patient. I'd expect it to take 2+ weeks.

2. Size: Can I keep 2 orandas in a 30 gallon? Or is that pressing
it? I keep reading about how much tank volume goldfish need.

3. Filter: I have a whisper 20-40 gallon filter. Will that be
sufficient or do I need more filtration?

4. I like the red capped orandas the best. Are they fairly hearty?
Will 2 of them be buddies? Will one oranda get lonely if I can
only house one in a 30 gallon tank? Do I need to worry about gender
for two orandas?

5. How large should they be for purchase size for best chances of
survival?

6. Acclimation: I would put the fish in a bucket and drip water in
until the bucket is partly full, remove some water and drip more in.
Process takes an hour or more. Is this style ok?

7. Because the goldfish will be the only inhabitants of the main
tank, do they need to go into a quarenteen tank first?

8. Are there prophalatic things I should do with new goldfish?
(salt bath, treat with melafix & pimafix, antibiotics)



Thank you so much. I appreciate the help.
Linda and the zoo