Alternatives for commercial diorama "water effects"?

I'm making a diorama which I hope to do a 'volumetric' water feature in, so I need something that sets smooth and clear, and ideally self-levels and is tintable with acrylic paint. There are commercial products available specifically for simulating water in this way - Vallejo Still Water is what I would go with, but I sort of object on principle to overpriced hobbyist stuff.

More generalized clear epoxy resins seem to be the way to go for bigger volume, but the water feature in my current project is rather small (about 50ml for the finished feature) and those resins seem to come in big containers and to require specialized inks for tinting. I also don't have a dedicated well ventilated workshop, so I'm wary of doing something that ... fume-y in my small apartment.

I have techniques I can fall back on like simple glossy surface coats or plastic films on actually opaque painted water etc., I'm looking specifically for the volumetric tinted effect. Being a beginner I might end up splurging on the Vallejo stuff in the end anyway, but I'm wondering if anyone has experience with, or ideas for, alternatives that might be cheaper even in small quantities?

This will likely be heavily frowned upon by the pros here, but many many years ago when I used to help my father with his model train dioramas, he used to use high gloss polyurethane - the same stuff used to finish a word working project. He would apply it in layers to form rivers and streams. You'd definitely need to worry about the fumes, but for such a small volume, I would think you could crack a window and be OK - and you sure couldn't beat the price. It also comes in very small cans so you wouldn't be left with a huge excess amount.

I've been researching various ways to model water in another forum that aren't translucent if you're interested.

Let us know what you decide!

Cheers -

Epoxy Resins and many polyurethanes yellow with age. It's best to avoid them for a project like that, I think. I really like Woodland Scenics Realistic Water...it dries clear and a bottle, while not cheap, goes a very long way!

I've seen waterfalls done this way : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ovNbnjRUNQ ,and also poured over laid-down and secured plastic wrap, which really cuts down the cost of the faux water. Also the hot glue method might work for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh_2ruIuJpw

Just an idea, not sure what kind of "water" you are trying to replicate, but go to Captain Han Solo's "My 31" Nautilus" thread and, on the first post, look at that glass patio table he is displaying his model on. To me, that looks like a great water effect. Maybe some kind of pitted glass like that?.....Just a thought.