diff --git a/apis/python/src/tiledb/vector_search/ingestion.py b/apis/python/src/tiledb/vector_search/ingestion.py
index 86f8b0c35..60a376426 100644
--- a/apis/python/src/tiledb/vector_search/ingestion.py
+++ b/apis/python/src/tiledb/vector_search/ingestion.py
@@ -2623,32 +2623,43 @@ def consolidate_and_vacuum(
         index_group_uri: str,
         config: Optional[Mapping[str, Any]] = None,
     ):
+        """
+        Consolidate fragments. Needed because during ingestion we have multiple workers that write
+        different fragments.
+
+        We don't consolidate CENTROIDS_ARRAY_NAME (and others) because they are only written once.
+
+        We also don't consolidate type-erased indexes because they are only written once. If we add
+        distributed ingestion we should write a C++ method to consolidate them.
+        """
         with tiledb.Group(index_group_uri) as group:
             write_group = tiledb.Group(index_group_uri, "w")
-            try:
-                if INPUT_VECTORS_ARRAY_NAME in group:
-                    tiledb.Array.delete_array(group[INPUT_VECTORS_ARRAY_NAME].uri)
-                    write_group.remove(INPUT_VECTORS_ARRAY_NAME)
-                if EXTERNAL_IDS_ARRAY_NAME in group:
-                    tiledb.Array.delete_array(group[EXTERNAL_IDS_ARRAY_NAME].uri)
-                    write_group.remove(EXTERNAL_IDS_ARRAY_NAME)
-            except tiledb.TileDBError as err:
-                message = str(err)
-                if "does not exist" not in message:
-                    raise err
-            write_group.close()
-
-            modes = ["fragment_meta", "commits", "array_meta"]
-            for mode in modes:
-                conf = tiledb.Config(config)
-                conf["sm.consolidation.mode"] = mode
-                conf["sm.vacuum.mode"] = mode
-                ids_uri = group[IDS_ARRAY_NAME].uri
-                parts_uri = group[PARTS_ARRAY_NAME].uri
-                tiledb.consolidate(parts_uri, config=conf)
-                tiledb.vacuum(parts_uri, config=conf)
-                tiledb.consolidate(ids_uri, config=conf)
-                tiledb.vacuum(ids_uri, config=conf)
+
+            if not is_type_erased_index(index_type):
+                try:
+                    if INPUT_VECTORS_ARRAY_NAME in group:
+                        tiledb.Array.delete_array(group[INPUT_VECTORS_ARRAY_NAME].uri)
+                        write_group.remove(INPUT_VECTORS_ARRAY_NAME)
+                    if EXTERNAL_IDS_ARRAY_NAME in group:
+                        tiledb.Array.delete_array(group[EXTERNAL_IDS_ARRAY_NAME].uri)
+                        write_group.remove(EXTERNAL_IDS_ARRAY_NAME)
+                except tiledb.TileDBError as err:
+                    message = str(err)
+                    if "does not exist" not in message:
+                        raise err
+                write_group.close()
+                modes = ["fragment_meta", "commits", "array_meta"]
+                for mode in modes:
+                    conf = tiledb.Config(config)
+                    conf["sm.consolidation.mode"] = mode
+                    conf["sm.vacuum.mode"] = mode
+                    ids_uri = group[IDS_ARRAY_NAME].uri
+                    parts_uri = group[PARTS_ARRAY_NAME].uri
+                    tiledb.consolidate(parts_uri, config=conf)
+                    tiledb.vacuum(parts_uri, config=conf)
+                    tiledb.consolidate(ids_uri, config=conf)
+                    tiledb.vacuum(ids_uri, config=conf)
+
             partial_write_array_exists = PARTIAL_WRITE_ARRAY_DIR in group
         if partial_write_array_exists:
             with tiledb.Group(index_group_uri, "w") as partial_write_array_group:
diff --git a/apis/python/src/tiledb/vector_search/ivf_pq_index.py b/apis/python/src/tiledb/vector_search/ivf_pq_index.py
index 657108a88..a155e8650 100644
--- a/apis/python/src/tiledb/vector_search/ivf_pq_index.py
+++ b/apis/python/src/tiledb/vector_search/ivf_pq_index.py
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ def __init__(
             timestamp=timestamp,
             open_for_remote_query_execution=open_for_remote_query_execution,
         )
+        # TODO(SC-48710): Add support for `open_for_remote_query_execution`. We don't leave `self.index`` as `None` because we need to be able to call index.dimensions().
         self.index = vspy.IndexIVFPQ(self.ctx, uri, to_temporal_policy(timestamp))
         # TODO(paris): This is incorrect - should be fixed when we fix consolidation.
         self.db_uri = self.group[
@@ -67,19 +68,9 @@ def __init__(
             storage_formats[self.storage_version]["IDS_ARRAY_NAME"]
         ].uri
 
-        schema = tiledb.ArraySchema.load(self.db_uri, ctx=tiledb.Ctx(self.config))
         self.dimensions = self.index.dimensions()
-
         self.dtype = np.dtype(self.group.meta.get("dtype", None))
-        if self.dtype is None:
-            self.dtype = np.dtype(schema.attr("values").dtype)
-        else:
-            self.dtype = np.dtype(self.dtype)
-
-        if self.base_size == -1:
-            self.size = schema.domain.dim(1).domain[1] + 1
-        else:
-            self.size = self.base_size
+        self.size = self.base_size
 
     def get_dimensions(self):
         """
diff --git a/apis/python/src/tiledb/vector_search/vamana_index.py b/apis/python/src/tiledb/vector_search/vamana_index.py
index 39b6151ae..2f2fd6867 100644
--- a/apis/python/src/tiledb/vector_search/vamana_index.py
+++ b/apis/python/src/tiledb/vector_search/vamana_index.py
@@ -77,19 +77,9 @@ def __init__(
             storage_formats[self.storage_version]["IDS_ARRAY_NAME"]
         ].uri
 
-        schema = tiledb.ArraySchema.load(self.db_uri, ctx=tiledb.Ctx(self.config))
         self.dimensions = self.index.dimensions()
-
         self.dtype = np.dtype(self.group.meta.get("dtype", None))
-        if self.dtype is None:
-            self.dtype = np.dtype(schema.attr("values").dtype)
-        else:
-            self.dtype = np.dtype(self.dtype)
-
-        if self.base_size == -1:
-            self.size = schema.domain.dim(1).domain[1] + 1
-        else:
-            self.size = self.base_size
+        self.size = self.base_size
 
     def get_dimensions(self):
         """