Seth's DIY Cree XM-L LED build

[Seth81]

Originally Posted by Reefer Rob

There is a massive LED aesthetics thread on RC you might want to read before you go with cool whites. Lots of people complaining the light is very flat, and they add reds and greens trying to improve the color.

I went with about 2:1 royal blue to neutral white and to color is gorgeous. After only 2 weeks it's still too early to say anything about algae growth, but I believe corals also need red spectrum.

Looking at the attached flux distribution for the XM-L's I would say there is no need for any additional green lighting. Red... well maybe, but that might encourage algae growth. I think I'll try out my setup for a while. The only mods I am considering right now is optics and some more royal blues for better actinic lighting and a cooler (K) look




Edit: Looking at the XP-E Cool Whites, there seems to be slightly more green content in the XM-L cool whites