Is your enviroment very humid or dry? The Phal and Paph like moist conditions so you can provide that with either a bark, spaghnum moss or coco husk mix. I have both and my mix consists of cocohusk and bark. You can add spagh for a more retenative moisture hold.
Cyms aren't picky and can be potted in any mix that is free draining. A lot of us use coco husk or bark mix, or a blend of both. Cyms like to be moist, and a little dry before the next watering.
You can use any fertilizer you choose as long as it's balanced 20.20.20
Rule of thumb is to use fertilizer "weakly weekly". Taking the recommended amount and reducing that by half, if not even less, and using that.
As for the stem on the Phal, you can cut at the first node and see if you can initiate another spike. Maybe possibly get it to bloom again. There are threads on here about that getting Phals to respike.
Do you have pics of your plants? We'd love to see them?!
I hope this helps. Hopefully others will jump in on this. Good luck with your 'chids, and I agree. You got bad advice the first time around. Shame on them.