I'm equally amused at the people selling tank setups on eBay who think they are worth a fortune.... ie; 55 gallon with standard hood and stand for $600.
I also laugh at those who say in that same ad, "I spent $900 for this set up when new".... Either they got taken... or they are lyin.......
I use a plastic putty knife from wally world to scrape algae. My guess is that it would flatten the sand, too. It comes in a pack of 3 and in three diferent sizes. You can use the larger one on most of the tank, and the smaller one for in between the decorations.