Like all anemonefishes, it forms a symbiotic mutualism with sea anemones and is unaffected by the stinging tentacles of its host.

[4] The body of A. tricinctus is yellow-orange at the snout, belly, and pelvic and anal fins, tending to dark brown or black at the tail.

They can grow to be about 13 cm (5.1 in) long[4] As A. tricinctus is endemic to the Marshall Islands, no geographic variation is seen, bute variations to the proportions of orange and black occur, from predominately orange through to predominantly black and the occasional aberrant coloration.

[7][8] A. tricinctus is endemic to the Marshall Islands in the western part of the Pacific Ocean [4] and is found in lagoons and pinnacle and seaward reefs.

Like corals, anemone's contain intracellular endosymbionts, zooxanthellae, and can suffer from bleaching due to triggers such as increased water temperature or acidification.