Help! I've been snailed

Hiya lgb, we had a similar problem in a larger tank, 100 litre (approx 60
gallon) when a snail explosion occured. Clowns are ferocious eaters as we
found after we purchased 2 for the same reason. They enjoy themselves
immensely going about the business of cleaning up the tank! For your tank I
would suggest you purchase 1 clown and give it a week. If you still have
many snails, purchase another. If you are setting up another tank soon, then
it wont be long before you can transfer them and meanwhile they will go
about their business of snail munching. The clowns grow slowly so this wont
be a problem if its only for a couple of months, so this option you should
find ammenable. Let me know how you go!