NOt hard for me to believe at all... 450 and 180 here... and 125, 40, two 12s... anyway...
Not knowing all of the specifics, I think you really have to ask yourself some questions. First, why the desire to move? This can lead down multiple paths... it may be a change in the people. That alone might be worth it for you, or it might be more "temporary" (i.e. you new boss at your current position is a tool, but may be gone next week). Or, you might be changing careers entirely. I went to school for psychology, wound up running/managing an auto-parts warehouse, and changed careers completely, with a pay cut, to get into programming. If it's a career change, you have to ask yourself which is more promising. Why it would be more promising is up to you. Job satisfaction goes a long way, it's not always about the money (lost or gained). So completely disregarding the tanks, will the move be worth it for you, for your personal happiness.
Second, if you do take the position, is the stability as good as or better than your current position. Besides satisfaction, job security also goes a long way. If you're younger, unmarried, this may not be that great of an influence, but if you're older and/or have a family, relocating 1,000 miles away only to find yourself looking for a new position in a year or two is not a great prospect. Also, is the opportunity for future advancement there? Is the potential for a greater salary, long term, there? IOW, it's not just the immediate changes you need to consider, but the long term changes as well.
And last... the tanks... You're going to wind up selling them for a song. More likely than not, you WILL have to part out, and more likely than not, you'll have "parts" remaining. Don't count on the sale to fund your relocation. For most mid-range set-ups, a "used" price of around $10/gallon is pretty normal here, for the full reef tank, with livestock. Parting out will get you more, per piece, but, like I said, you may find yourself "stuck" with pieces and not make the gross sale you would have if you sold it in one lump, but much cheaper per piece. You have some pretty high-end stuff there, but you have to understand that the "used" market "demand" isn't going to meet your "supply". The whole reason people are looking for "used" set ups is because they're looking for a deal, looking for a "cheaper" start-up, usually. My guess? You'll be lucky if you can get $10K for the 450, with everything, with $5k being more likely for the sale of the whole thing. You're not going to get back even half of what you paid for the high-end stuff. Really. Sad, but true. For us, this made our decision to keep our 180 an easy one when we moved up to the 450. I just wasn't going to settle for being pillaged. Oh, yeah, p'd off a lot of people trying to sell it. You'd be amazed at how cantankerous some buyers can be when you don't meet their price demands. One guy wanted to give me $200 for the tank alone, IF I delivered it, about 60 miles away. Sheesh. Anyway, getting rid of everything is going to be more than heartache, it's going to be headache as well unless you're open to giving stuff away for mere fractions of what it's worth. Can you handle that? Would it make the move a sour thing? IMO, if the move will ultimately vastly improve your life's outlook otherwise, you really can't weight the tanks against it, you just have to swallow that bitter pill and accept the pennies on the dollar you'll get and move on, and rebuild in that happier place.
