Water chemistry and shedding behaviour ?

Hi,

I have an elderly (30+ yr old) Cynops ensicauda. He lives in a 30 gal tank with about 4-5 inches of water. I keep the tank cleaned with a turkey baster but have been doing this less frequently recently because I think with that little amount of water I end up removing too much and I think the water changes are possibly causing my newt to shed his skin every time I do them! The problem is that the water in the tank is extremely alkaline (I think the rocks in the tank cause this alkalinity) whereas the tap water (well water) is neutral with pH of about 7. Is there something I can add to the water to make it more alkaline? I used to keep fish (a LONG time ago) and there was some product you could add to the water to change the water chemistry but I have forgotten the name of it. Can anyone help? Thank-you!

I honestly haven't heard of ph affecting the shedding of skin, but most don't recommend chemicals with caudates. I would say maybe adding an airstone if you wanted to raise it. I've read that a lot of aeration in water will raise ph over time. Maybe the hardness or softness of the well water may be affecting things?