I use a mix of medium and small douglas fir bark chips mixed with sponge rock and foam pieces

As a beginner, with two phals I found it really difficult to grow in moss.

I read that you need to be careful not to over water and that you should let the moss dry out before you water again. What I didn't know is that the moss can be dry almost all the way through but still have a wet core in the center of the roots. So I still ended up over watering and my phals got root rot.

I now grow in semi hydroponics which I find much easier. I can water whenever I think they need it without worrying about over watering.

If you do go with the bark...don't forget to soak it for 24 hrs before you pot. I tried bark in between moss and SH and found it didn't retain any water at all. Someone told me after I'd already gone over to SH, that you need to soak it first.

Good luck and welcome to the Orchid Board! There is a lot of good info here and a lot of helpful, knowledgeable people. My phals would be dead if not for them.