Anyone make a raised false bottom to their tank?

[Moozillion]

My 3-footed mud turtle is a NON-swimmer due to the missing foot.
I currently keep her in a 40 gallon breeder with only 3.5 inches of water. This creates a problem with filtering: I use a Reptisun Turtle Clean for 30 gallons, and it's really not enough. I can't use a canister filter because the water level is way too far below the rim of the tank.
If I could build a raised false floor so that she occupies the TOP half of the tank instead of the BOTTOM half like she does now, I could then use a good sized canister filter.

Anyone have experience with anything like that? Ideas? Suggestions?
I'm open!!!

 

[Sarah2020]

As a suggestion could you put in bricks or similar and lay a stainless steel metal grid on them to provide raised platform?

 

[wellington]

It can be done. People do it a lot for planted tanks and for tanks they do half land half water.
There is plastic grates you could use. Just be sure you can get under it for cleaning.

 

[mark1]

i've used this type of bottom in all my tanks and ponds ..... in the tanks i use a canister filter , and/or a hang on the side filter , i pull the water from under the gravel .......it works well for me .........

the pumps in the ponds are below the gravel ....there is maybe an inch to an inch and a half of water above the gravel in this tub , 5"-7" of water below the gravel .... the last maintenance i've done on this was spring 2020 ..... took this pic today , was 35F this morning and i just noticed the little box turtle tucked under the filter/bucket ......

i dug this little pond out to waist height ..... dug a rim around the outside edges about 15" down , put a false bottom in , maybe 10" of water above the gravel and 24" of water below the gravel also another 20 gallons of water in the filter , 3 wood turtles hibernate in this for the last 5-6 yrs

this is also a false bottom with 2"-4" inches of water ablove the gravel and 8-12" below the gravel

 

[Yelloweyed]

When my mud turtles were babies, I used light diffuser/egg crate panels as false bottoms and it worked great! I was able to fill the tanks to whatever depth I wanted for the canister filter and still have a shallow depth for the babies.