My tank is glass .... so a little more forgiving. But my problem is I really can't access the front of the tank with a handle type scraper. To be honest, in my attempts, I have scratched the glass trying to do it halfa$$ed with a handle scraper.
But you have a good point Chuck. You've got to be careful even with a glass tank of scratches, especially when you get pieces of sand between the scraper and the glass.