How do I clean glass next to sand

HI I have a bunch of algae next to my sand. Its about an inch tall and I do have a scraper. Im afraid that if I do scrape this, I will also scrape sand against glass and scratch it. How can I do this?

 

I sorta fan the sand away and have at it. You just gotta be careful.

 

Patience and a steady hand.

 

I use a razor blade, it works better than the scraper and I have much more control.

 

+1 on the razor blade Crimson Ghost...you can try a coarse sponge or buy one of those electronic scrubbers but i've found good old razor blades work the best just find the "right" angle and replace when they get rusty.

 

If I use a scraper, I scrap down, lift off the glass, scrap down, repeat, etc etc. That way any sand will fall off the scraper when you lift off the panel. If you go up and down, you could drag a piece of sand with you.

I use my nails when I can... my coralline grows below the surface and I won't go there with a scraper.

 

Plastic credit card works best for me
can even use it to remove coraline provided I do it weekly
and not allow the coraline to layer/thicken up to much

as above work downwards only and then lift away and move over
prevents catching sand with it and scratching the tank

 

I use a little water and scraper kit i bought with the downward and lift motion

 

+1 A razor can get underneath the sand and the algae. just get it in a good spot and singl long swipes. no back and fourth.


I use a algae scrubber too but this may not work if ur worried about sand scratches. if mine scratched the glass. I sure as hell cant tell.

 

Lowe's has those really nice red and black razor blade scrapers next to the cash registers for 99 cents. I buy several at a time and throw them away every couple of months as the screw and nut freeze up if you don't get them cleaned and dried off well. A box or razor blades is really cheap too especially at places like Harbor Freight tools.