I would venture to guess that it is a female & is full of eggs.

As for the lilies, I'm not sure but seeing as how they're hardy I'd guess it would probably be ok.

If I have a female full of eggs, when will she deposit the eggs? Is it too early in the year for this? I will try and research but thought I would ask here

indycat, I think you need to ask the fish if it is too early. Fish know what they are doing and if it was too early she wouldn't be doing it, IMHO I don't know of anyone that can tell you when she will deposit the eggs. That's like telling a woman when she is actually going to have a baby if she is doing it naturally. I would suggest you just watch and when the males start banging and bumping her around then it will be soon. Glenda

They are going to start to spawn when the water temp stays in the 60°+ range for a few days.

I guess my question is, should I expect a female full of eggs to look "puffy" for awhile or is it short term, or does it vary? I am trying to determine if I should be alarmed if the fish look like this for a long period of time. I have read about tumors, but this fish is not lopsided at all. It could be another month or so before the water temp is over 60 degrees, maybe longer