All you would need extra to make your light turn on automatically with
a timer is a fluorescent light starter (a small tin can like object
containing what I think is a condenser) and a proper simple rewiring.
I've done this myself with my 25 year old fluorescent light in my
bedroom on my small 15 gallon aquarium. You can get the automatic
fluorescent light starter at the local hardware store for something
like .70 cents each in the states. The starter has to be rated for the
length of bulb/tube and wattage of bulb/tube you will use with it, and
don't overload the ballast - only use bulbs/tubes/starters that the
ballast can handle, the ballasts capabilities should be etched/written
on the ballast. Polarity doesn't matter either so you can connect the
starter to the wiring without worrying about orientation of the starter
to the ballast and/or wire and switch. If you want an authentic
instruction on how to do this try searching some of the popular (I
think I read about this 12 years ago in an old print of tfh (tropical
fish hobbiest)) older aquaria hobby magazines' archives possibly on the
net or maybe microfilm at your local library. Hope that gets you to be
creative, later!